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THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 


By  J.  H.  JOWETT,  P.P. 

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Things  That  Matter 
Most 

DEVOTIONAL  PAPERS 


BY 
JOHN  HENRY  JOWETT,  D.D. 

Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York  City 


New  York         Chicago         Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  19 13,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


LOAN  STACK 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  125  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  St.,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:   100  Princes  Street 


PREFACE 

I  have  ventured  to  call  these  devotional 
papers  by  the  general  title,  "  Things  That 
Matter  Most,"  for,  although  they  are  con- 
cerned with  many  themes,  I  think  that  in 
every  instance,  we  come  face  to  face  with 
some  supreme  interest  of  the  soul.  The 
mountains  are  never  below  the  horizon:  they 
are  always  in  sight,  and  they  dominate  the 
plains. 

It  is  surely  well  in  these  days  of  incessant 
movement,  movement  which  so  frequently 
means  strain  rather  than  strength,  that  we 
have  interludes  when  the  soul  can  correct 
her  conscious  and  unconscious  wanderings 
by  the  contemplation  of  the  serene  and  majes- 
tic things  of  God.  It  is  in  the  ministry  of 
these  interludes  that  these  meditations  are  now 
published,  and  I  heartily  hope  that  in  this  way 
they  may  be  helpful  to  those  who  read  them. 

J.  H.  J. 
New  York. 


085 


CONTENTS 


I.  THE   ILLIMITABLE   LOVE   OF   GOD 

II.  LOVERS  OF  GOD 

III.  FORGETTING  GOD 

IV.  SPIRITUAL  ABILITIES 

v.  Christ's  habit  of  prayer 

VI.  THE  THANKFULNESS  OF  JESUS 

VII.  THE  MAGIC  TOUCH     . 

VIII.  THE  BEQUEST  OF  PEACE      . 

IX.  SEEKING  THE  BEST     . 

X.  WITHERED  HANDS       . 

XI.  THE  THORN  REMAINS 

XII.  THE  SONG  OF    MOSES   AND    THE   LAMB 

XIII.  WAVE  AND  RIVER 

XIV.  THE  GUIDING  HAND 
XV.  THE  MIDNIGHT  PRESSURE 

XVI.  CAPITAL  AND  INTEREST     . 

XVII.  BRUISED  REEDS 

XVIII.  INFIRMITIES  IN  PRAYER      . 

XIX.  THE  FRIENDS  OF  JESUS 

XX.  CONTACT  BUT  NOT  COMMUNION 

XXI.  THE  MORNING  BREEZE 

XXII.  NO  BREATH 

XXIII.  BLINDING  THE  MIND 

XXIV.  THE  SOUL  IN  THE  MARKET 
XXV.  TERMINUS  AND  THOROUGHFARE 

XXVI.  THE  DESTRUCTION  AT  NOONTIDE 
7 


9 

21 

30 
38 
46 

53 
61 

67 

76 

85 

9i 

98 

ko6 

112 

120 

125 
132 

138 
145 
154 
160 
166 
171 
180 
186 
192 


8 


CONTENTS 


XXVII.  THE  BENEDICTION  OF  THE  SNOW    .  197 

XXVIII.  NEEDLESS  REGRETS          .            .            .  203 

XXIX.  WISE  FORGETFULNESS    .  .  .211 

XXX.  PREJUDGING  CHRIST       .            .            .  217 

XXXI.  RIVERS  OF  LIVING  WATER        .            .  223 

XXXII.  OUTSIDE  THE  WALLS       .            .            .  229 

XXXIII.  HONEST  MORAL  JUDGMENT     .            .  234 

XXXIV.  THE  COMING  OF  THE  KINGDOM        .  240 

XXXV.  THE  POWER  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT    .  248 

XXXVI.  KEEPING  THE  ROADS  OPEN     .            .  255 
XXXVII.  A  FRIEND  OF  THE  SUSPECTED            .  262 

XXXVIII.  THE  HIGHER  MINISTRIES  OF   HOLI- 
DAYS             270 


! 

THE   ILLIMITABLE   LOVE   OF   GOD 

WHAT  is  the  biggest  thing  on  which 
the  human  mind  can  be  exercised? 
In  what  can  we  most  easily  lose  our- 
selves in  the  overwhelming  sense  of  the  im- 
measurable? There  are  the  vast  lone  spaces 
of  the  stellar  fields,  peopled  with  countless 
worlds,  crossed  by  mysterious  highways,  with 
stars  as  the  pilgrims,  ever  moving  on  their 
unknown  journeyings.  We  can  lose  ourselves 
there.  There  is  "  the  dark  backward  and 
abysm  of  time,"  opening  door  after  door  in 
ever-receding  epochs,  back  through  twilight 
and  dawn  into  the  primeval  darkness,  where 
the  inquisitive  mind  falters  and  faints.  And 
we  can  lose  ourselves  there.  There  is  the  ap- 
palling wilderness  of  human  need,  beginning 
from  my  own  life,  with  its  taint  of  blood,  its 
defect  of  faculty,  its  dreary  gap  in  circum- 
stance and  condition,  and  repeated  in  every 
other  life  in  every  street,  in  every  city  and 
village  and  country  throughout  the  inhabited 
world.  And  we  can  lose  ourselves  there. 
And  then  there  is  the  deadly,  ubiquitous  pres- 
9 


10    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

ence  of  human  sin,  in  all  its  chameleon  forms 
— well-dressed,  ill-dressed,  blazing  in  passion, 
mincing  in  vanity,  and  freezing  in  moral  in- 
difference and  unbelief.  All  these  are  stupen- 
dous themes,  and  the  mind  that  ventures  upon 
them  is  like  the  dove  that  ventured  upon  the 
waste  of  waters,  and,  soon  growing  weary  of 
wing,  returned  to  the  place  of  its  rest.  But 
there  is  something  more  majestic  than  the 
heavens,  more  wonderful  than  the  far,  mys- 
terious vistas  of  time,  more  pervasive  than 
human  need,  and  more  abounding  than  human 
sin.  The  biggest  thing  with  which  the  mind 
can  cope  is  the  infinite  love  of  God;  and  all 
our  sanctified  powers,  and  all  the  ministries  of 
holy  fellowship,  and  all  the  explorations  of 
eternity  will  never  reach  a  limit  in  its  un- 
searchable wealth.  The  biggest  thing  you  and 
I  will  ever  know  is  the  love  of  God  in  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.  There  will  always  be  "  a  re- 
gion beyond,"  and  for  the  already  wondering 
eyes  there  will  always  be  a  new  surprise: 
"  The  height,  and  depth,  and  length,  and 
breadth,  and  to  know  the  love  of  God,  which 
passeth  knowledge." 

I.  Let  us  reverently  gaze  into  the  height  of 
the  love  of  God.  In  love  the  scale  of  height  is 
measured  by  the  degree  of  purity.  The 
height  in  the  scale  of  diamonds  is  determined 


THE  ILLIMITABLE  LOVE  OF  GOD   11 

by  an  analogous  standard.  A  diamond  is  of 
the  "  first  water "  when  it  is  without  flaw 
or  tint  of  any  kind.  And  love  is  lofty  in  pro- 
portion to  its  brilliance.  Love  can  be  deteri- 
orated and  degraded  by  the  tint  of  jealousy. 
It  can  be  debased  by  the  tint  of  envy.  It  can 
be  vulgarized  by  a  strain  of  carnal  passion. 
These  earthly  elements  may  be  mixed  with  the 
heavenly  substance,  and  its  spiritual  value  is 
reduced.  So  that  the  first  test  to  apply  to  any 
love  is  the  test  of  purity,  which  is  the  test  of 
height,  the  test  as  to  how  far  it  is  sublimated, 
and  separated  from  selfish  and  fleshly  ingre- 
dients which  dim  and  spoil  its  lustre. 

Now  it  is  here  that  the  Scriptures  begin  in 
their  revelation  of  the  love  of  God.  They  be- 
gin with  its  brilliance,  its  holiness.  "  In  Him 
is  no  darkness  at  all ! "  How  would  that  be 
as  a  description  of  a  diamond  ?  "  No  dark- 
ness at  all ! "  Nothing  sinful  in  His  love ! 
But  more  than  that.  Nothing  shady  in  it, 
nothing  questionable:  nothing  compromising 
or  morally  indifferent!  No  darkness  at  all; 
no  blackness  of  faithlessness;  no  twilight  of 
forget  fulness ;  "  no  night  there !  " 

And  thus  it  is  that,  when  the  Book  guides 
us  in  the  contemplation  of  the  eternal  love,  it 
first  of  all  leads  us  into  the  contemplation  of 
the  eternal  light.    Always  and  everywhere 


n    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

this  is  where  we  begin.  If  I  listen  to  a  psalm- 
ist, he  leads  me  into  the  holy  place :  "  Exalt  the 
Lord  our  God,  and  worship  at  His  holy  hill; 
for  the  Lord  our  God  is  holy."  If  I  listen  to  a 
prophet,  I  am  led  into  the  same  sacred  pre- 
cincts :  "  The  high  and  lofty  One  whose  name 
is  holy."  If  I  listen  to  the  mystic  seraphim 
of  the  Old  Testament,  I  hear  them  cry  one  to 
another,  "  Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord  of 
Hosts."  If  I  listen  to  the  songs  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse, I  find  them  burdened  with  the  same 
theme :  "  They  rest  not  day  and  night  saying, 
Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty."  If  I 
reverently  listen  to  the  Master  in  His  secret 
communion  with  the  Unseen,  I  hear  Him  say, 
"  Holy  Father."  And  if  I  listen  to  the  prayer 
which  He  Himself  teaches  me  to  pray,  I  am 
led  immediately  to  the  holy  glory  of  the  Lord : 
"  Our  Father  .  .  .  hallowed  be  Thy  name." 
Always  and  everywhere  this  is  the  beginning 
of  our  contemplation.  We  are  led  away  into 
the  light,  into  the  unshadowed  brilliance,  into 
the  holiness  of  God.  If,  therefore,  God's  love 
be  symbolized  by  a  mountain,  its  heights  will 
be  clothed  in  the  dazzling  whiteness  of  the 
everlasting  snow.  Love's  heights  are  found 
in  love's  holiness.  "  God  is  light,"  "  God  is 
truth,"  "  God  is  love." 

From  this  primary  teaching  I  wish  to  ad- 


THE  ILLIMITABLE  LOVE  OF  GOD    13 

duce  two  inferences.  And  the  first  is  this. 
The  force  of  love  always  depends  upon  its 
height.  We  find  the  analogy  in  water.  The 
force  of  falling  water  is  determined  by  its 
height.  In  an  English  home,  if  your  shower- 
bath  is  lazy  and  loitering,  chilling  you  rather 
than  bracing  you,  your  remedy  is  to  raise  your 
cistern,  and  in  the  increased  height  you  will 
get  the  requisite  tingle.  The  tonic  is  born  in 
loftiness.  It  is  even  so  with  love.  There  is 
a  type  of  love  which  has  no  vigour  because 
it  has  no  height.  It  is  a  weak,  sickly  sentiment 
which  just  crawls  about  you.  It  is  low,  and 
therefore  it  has  no  enlivening  force.  It  is 
mixed  with  earthly  elements,  and  therefore  it 
has  no  heavenly  quickening.  It  enervates,  it 
does  not  invigorate.  The  more  holy  love  is, 
the  higher  it  is,  and  the  more  fraught  it  is  with 
vitality.  How,  then,  must  it  be  with  the  love 
of  God?  Born  in  holiness,  it  has  power 
enough  to  waken  the  dead.  Have  you  seen  an 
Alpine  river,  born  amid  the  snows,  and  roll- 
ing gloriously  through  the  vale  ?  That  is  the 
figure  we  need :  "  And  I  saw  a  river  of  water 
of  life,  clear  as  crystal,"  proceeding  from  "  the 
great  white  throne,"  out  of  the  unshadowed 
depths  of  eternal  holiness.  "  There  is  a  river 
the  streams  whereof  shall  make  glad  the  city 
of  God,"  and  the  holy  power  of  that  river  is 


14?    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

determined  by  the  holy  heights  in  which  it  is 
born. 

And  the  second  inference  is  this,  that  the 
ultimate  ministry  and  goal  of  love  is  also 
determined  by  the  height  of  its  holiness. 
Once  again  seek  your  analogy  in  water. 
Water  rises  no  higher  than  its  source.  Water 
can  lift  no  higher  than  its  source.  It  is 
even  so  with  love.  Our  love  can  never  raise 
a  loved  one  higher  than  the  love  itself.  There 
are  aspects  of  that  law  which  are  altogether 
staggering.  Take  the  love  of  a  parent  for  his 
child.  Our  own  tainted  love  will  not  lift  our 
child  into  purity.  Our  own  jealous  love  will 
not  lift  our  child  into  an  unembittered  dispo- 
sition. Our  own  envious  love  will  not  lift  our 
child  into  moral  serenity.  Our  love  will  not 
lift  above  its  own  level.  That  is  the  solemn 
responsibility  of  a  lover,  that  if  the  love  be  low 
it  will  scarcely  lift  the  beloved  one  above  the 
plains.  If  we  want  to  lift  higher  we  must 
heighten  our  love.  How,  then,  is  it  with  the 
love  of  God?  His  love,  so  glorious  in  holi- 
ness, Can  raise  to  its  own  level,  and  lift  us  into 
u  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus."  "  They 
shall  sit  with  Me  on  My  throne."  "Go d  so 
loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begot- 
ten Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life" 


THE  ILLIMITABLE  LOVE  OF  GOD   15 

God's  love  imparts  its  own  loveliness,  un- 
til one  day  we  too  shall  be  "altogether 
lovely." 

From  the  supreme  height  of  the  fells,  on 
the  island  of  Arran,  there  comes  rolling  down 
the  granite  slopes  a  gloriously  alive  and  vital- 
izing stream.  They  call  it  "  The  White 
Water,"  and  it  is  well  named.  It  gleams  on 
the  slopes  like  the  whitest  foam.  Out  at  sea, 
when  everything  else  was  obscure,  I  could  see 
the  white  water  running  on  its  ceaseless  er- 
rand. And  oh !  the  loveliness  of  its  bequests, 
and  the  unutterable  beauty  of  its  dells  and 
glens!  It  feeds  the  bracken,  it  nourishes  the 
stalwart  heather,  it  moistens  the  retiring  fern. 
The  White  Water  endows  its  haunts  with  its 
own  loveliness.  And  the  white  water  of  the 
eternal  love,  ceaselessly  flowing  from  the  holy 
heart  of  God,  brings  with  it  power  to  make 
everything  lovely,  and  at  last  to  present  every- 
thing spotless  before  the  throne. 

2.  Let  us  gaze  into  its  depths.  Let  me  link 
together  detached  sentences  from  the  Word, 
that  in  their  associations  we  may  discern  what 
is  meant  by  the  depth  of  the  love  of  God. 
"  The  high  and  lofty  one  whose  name  is 
holy."  .  .  .  "  He  is  gone  to  be  guest  with  a 
man  that  is  a  sinner!  "  "  Jesus,  knowing  that 
the  Father  had  given  all  things  into  His  hands, 


16    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

and  that  He  was  come  from  God,  and  went 
to  God  .  .  .  began  to  wash  the  disciples' 
feet."  "  And  one  cried  with  another,  saying, 
Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord!"  .  .  .., 
"  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee;  go,  and  sin  no 
more ! "  All  these  are  suggestive  of  what  is 
meant  by  the  love-depths  of  our  God.  And  on 
these  I  want  to  build  this  teaching,  that  it  is 
only  the  really  lofty  that  can  truly  reach  the 
really  deep.  The  arm  that  can  reach  far  up- 
ward is  the  only  arm  that  can  reach  far  down- 
ward. It  is  only  holy  love  that  can  deal 
with  humanity's  deepest  needs.  A  low  love 
has  no  depths  of  service.  Low  love  is  a  thing 
of  compromise,  and  has  no  dealings  with  ex- 
tremes, whether  of  holiness  or  of  sin.  Phari- 
saic love  had  no  height.  "  I  thank  Thee  I 
am  not  as  other  men  are."  That  is  not  lofti- 
ness :  it  is  superciliousness ;  it  is  not  the  vision 
from  the  snow-white  hills.  And  because 
Pharisaic  love  had  no  height,  it  had  no  cor- 
responding depth;  and  when  the  Pharisee  saw 
One  descending  into  the  deep  pits  of  human 
need,  he  cried  in  self-respecting  amazement, 
"  He  eateth  and  drinketh  with  publicans  and 
sinners ! "  Holy  love,  crystalline  love,  goes 
down  and  down  into  human  necessity,  and  is 
not  afraid  of  the  taint.  Sunbeams  can  move 
among  sewage  and  catch  no  defilement.     The 


THE  ILLIMITABLE  LOVE  OF  GOD    17 

brilliant,  holy  love  of  God  ministers  in  the 
deepest  depths  of  human  need. 

God's  love  is  deeper  than  human  sorrow, 
and  how  deep  that  is  my  appointed  lot  gives 
me  daily  and  deepening  experience.  But  drop 
your  plummet-line  into  the  deepest  sea  of  sor- 
row, and  at  the  end  of  all  your  soundings 
"  underneath  are  the  everlasting  arms/' 
God's  love  is  deeper  than  death,  and  there  are 
multitudes  who  know  how  deep  grim  death 
can  be.  "  Just  twelve  months  ago,"  said  a 
near  friend  of  mine  a  week  or  two  ago,  "  I 
dug  a  deep  grave!  "  Aye,  and  I  know  it  was 
deep  enough.  But  the  grave-digger's  spade 
cannot  get  beneath  our  Father's  love.  God's 
love  is  deeper  than  the  deepest  grave  you  ever 
dug !  "  And  entering  into  the  sepulchre  they 
saw  an  angel,"  and  you  can  never  dig  into  any 
dreary,  dreary  dwelling  of  death  which  is  be- 
yond the  reach  of  those  white-robed  messen- 
gers of  eternal  love.  Yes,  God's  love  is  deeper 
than  death.  "  O  death,  where  is  thy  sting? 
O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?  " 

And  God's  love  is  deeper  than  sin.  One 
night,  when  I  was  recently  crossing  the  Atlan- 
tic, an  officer  of  our  boat  told  me  that  we  had 
just  passed  over  the  spot  where  the  Titanic 
went  down.  And  I  thought  of  all  that  life  and 
wreckage  beyond  the  power  of  man  to  recover 


18    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

and  redeem.  And  I  thought  of  the  great  bed 
of  the  deep  sea,  with  all  its  held  treasure,  too 
far  down  for  man  to  reach  and  restore. 
"Too  far  down!"  And  then  I  thought  of 
all  the  human  wreckage  engulfed  and  sunk  in 
oceanic  depths  of  nameless  sin.  Too  far 
gone!  For  what?  Too  far  down!  For 
what?  Not  too  far  down  for  the  love  of 
God !  Listen  to  this :  "  He  descended  into 
hell,"  and  He  will  descend  again  if  you  are 
there.  "  If  I  make  my  bed  in  hell,  Thou  art 
there."  "  Where  sin  abounded,  grace  did 
much  more  abound."  "  He  bore  our  sin  " ; 
then  He  got  beneath  it;  down  to  it  and  be- 
neath it;  and  there  is  no  human  wreckage, 
lying  in  the  ooze  of  the  deepest  sea  of  iniquity, 
that  His  deep  love  cannot  reach  and  redeem. 
What  a  Gospel!  However  far  down,  God's 
love  can  get  beneath  it! 

Stronger  His  love  than  death  or  hell, 
Its  riches  are  unsearchable: 
The  first-born  sons  of  light 
Desire  in  vain  its  depths  to  see, 
They  cannot  tell  the  mystery, 
The  length,  and  breadth,  and  height ! 

3.  Let  us  gaze  into  its  breadth.  Here  again 
I  want  to  say  that  the  breadth  of  love  is  de- 
termined by  its  height.  Low  love  is  always 
very  confined  and  exclusive.     Lofty  love  is 


THE  ILLIMITABLE  LOVE  OF  GOD    19 

liberal  and  expansive.  Low  love  is  like  a 
lake;  lofty  love  is  like  a  river.  We  can  im- 
prison a  lake  within  our  own  estate;  we  can- 
not imprison  a  river.  It  will  be  out,  and 
about,  and  on!  And  sometimes  we  foolishly 
try  to  imprison  the  love  of  God.  "  We  make 
His  love  too  narrow  by  false  limits  of  our 
own."  Men  have  tried  to  appoint  social  lim- 
its, and  national  limits,  and  ecclesiastical  lim- 
its, and  credal  limits.  We  may  as  well  try  to 
break  up  the  sea  into  allotments  as  to  "  peg 
out "  the  love  of  God.  The  love  of  God  is 
as  broad  as  the  race,  and  nowhere  is  there  a 
single  man  in  any  clime,  or  of  any  colour,  in 
congested  city,  in  tropical  jungle,  or  on  a 
lonely  frontier-line  where  a  pioneer  has  built 
himself  a  primitive  home — nowhere  is  there  a 
single  man,  woman,  or  child  who  is  orphaned 
of  a  place  in  the  eternal  Father's  heart.  "If 
He  lose  one  He  goeth  out ! "  .  .  .0  love  of 
God,  how  broad! 

4.  And  what  of  its  length?  There  is  no 
end  to  it.  To  what  length  will  it  not  go? 
"  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a 
man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends."  To 
that  length !  "  Becoming  obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross !  "  To  that 
length !  "  Goeth  after  that  which  is  lost  until 
He  find  it."    To  that  length!     God's  love  is 


20    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

as  long  as  the  longest  road.  God's  love  is 
as  long  as  the  longest  day.  God's  love  is  as 
long  as  the  longest  night.  God's  love  is  as 
long  as  life.  God's  love  is  as  long  as  eternity. 
"  I  have  loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love." 
"  I  will  never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee." 
"  Love  never  faileth." 


II 

LOVERS   OF  GOD 

I  WANT  to  guide  the  thoughts  of  my 
readers  to  the  soul's  love  for  the  Lord, 
and  the  fitting  words  must  be  pure  as 
light  and  simple  as  childhood.  Not  that  the 
subject  is  simple.  There  is  no  subject  more 
delicate,  more  intangible,  more  elusive.  It  is 
ever  the  simplicities  that  most  easily  evade  our 
intellectual  grasp.  What  more  simple  than 
the  love  of  a  little  child,  and  yet  how  spiritual, 
and  therefore  how  infinite!  And  so  it  is 
when  we  come  to  a  theme  like  the  soul's  love 
for  our  God.  We  feel  awkward  and  clumsy, 
as  if  we  were  dealing  with  tender  and  sacred 
refinements,  and  we  lack  the  requisite  softness 
of  hand  and  foot.  We  have  not  the  delicacy 
of  soul  for  approaching  the  exquisitely  shy 
and  retiring  genius;  and  even  if  we  see  her 
beauties  and  her  manners  afar  off,  we  have  no 
fitting  speech  wherewith  to  describe  her 
charms.  For  themes  of  this  kind  require  not 
only  very  rare  and  special  powers  of  vision, 
they  require  an  almost  equally  rare  and  unique 
vocabulary.  If  we  are  going  to  speak  about 
21 


82    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

the  love  of  the  saints,  those  to  whom  we  speak 
must  not  be  made  to  gather  like  students  in  a 
herbalist's  museum;  they  must  feel  as  if  they 
were  out  in  the  sunshine,  among  all  sweet  and 
natural  things,  amid  enticing  perfumes  and 
lovely  hues.  They  must  not  be  as  though  they 
were  studying  the  laws  of  physics  in  the  class- 
room, but  as  though  they  were  basking  in  the 
cheery  heat  rays  of  the  enlivening  sun.  In 
our  time  there  have  been  two  men  who  could 
move  about  this  field  of  the  soul's  love  with 
the  incomparable  ease  of  master-lovers — 
Spurgeon  and  Newman,  and  I  always  repair 
to  them  when  I  want  to  put  a  bit  of  edge  on 
my  own  sadly  blunt  and  ineffective  blade. 
Both  were  deeply  intimate  with  the  delicate 
ways  of  the  soul,  and  with  the  love-songs  of 
the  soul ;  so  much  so  that  when  they  began  to 
speak  about  it  the  warm,  luscious  words  and 
phrases  of  the  Song  of  Solomon  became  their 
spontaneous  ministers  of  expression. 

The  dictionary  cannot  help  us  in  our  quest. 
The  dictionary  attempts  its  definition,  but 
when  the  definition  has  been  given  we  feel  it  is 
a  birdless  cage,  and  the  sweet,  living  songster 
is  not  there.  Here  is  what  the  dictionary 
says :  "  Love,  an  affection  of  the  mind  ex- 
cited by  qualities  in  an  object  which  are  capa- 
ble of  communicating  pleasure."     There  you 


LOVERS  OF  GOD  3S 

have  it!  But  does  any  young  lover  or  old 
lover  recognize  the  withered  thing?  It  is  not 
only  withered — it  is  imperfect  and  broken.  I 
think  we  must  admit  that  definitions  do  not 
take  us  very  far.  To  try  to  put  love  in  a 
phrase  is  like  taking  a  bit  of  tender  seaweed 
out  of  the  water;  it  becomes  featureless  mush 
in  the  hand. 

When  I  turn  to  the  New  Testament  no  defi- 
nition of  love  is  given.  Everywhere  there  are 
signs  of  love's  presence,  and  she  is  always  en- 
gaged in  ennobling  and  beautifying  service. 
Her  works  are  manifest,  but  the  worker  her- 
self is  elusive.  Where  she  moves  there  is 
indescribable  energy;  there  are  powerful  min- 
istries of  purity,  and  diverse  experiences  are 
drilled  to  a  common  and  beneficent  end.  Ev- 
erywhere wildernesses  become  gardens,  and 
deserts  are  rejoicing  and  blossoming  as  the 
rose.  But  one  thing  is  said,  and  said  very 
clearly,  and  it  is  this — the  way  to  love  our  fel- 
lows is  by  becoming  lovers  of  God.  "  The 
first  of  all  commandments  is,  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God."  Everywhere  this  is 
taught — love  for  God  is  the  secret  of  a  large, 
beneficent,  and  receptive  humanity.  How, 
then,  can  we  become  "  lovers  of  God  "  ? 

First  of  all,  we  must  consort  with  the  God 
we  desire  to  love.     We  must  bring  our  minds 


24    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

to  bear  upon  Him.  Love  is  not  born  where 
there  has  been  no  communion.  There  must 
be  association  and  fellowship.  I  know  that 
there  is  "  love  at  first  sight."  Yes,  at  a  glance 
the  soul  leaps  to  its  other  half,  and  completes 
a  union  appointed  in  the  deep  purpose  of  God. 
And  I  know  there  is  "  love  at  first  sight  "  with 
Christ.  It  is  even  so  with  multitudes  of  little 
children.  It  is  even  so  with  older  people ;  the 
road  of  their  life  has  suddenly  swerved,  cir- 
cumstances have  brought  their  souls  to  a  new 
angle,  and  there  He  stood,  and  their  soul  was 
in  love  with  Him!  But  even  this  first-sight 
love  needs  the  sustenance  of  careful  com- 
munion. That  is  just  what  so  many  of  us 
deny  our  souls.  We  do  not  give  ourselves 
time.  We  must  bring  back  something  of  the 
quietness  of  the  cloisters  into  our  own  turbu- 
lent life.  We  must  recover  something  of  the 
seclusion  of  the  monastery,  the  ministry  of 
fruitful  solitude.  We  must  make  space  to 
contemplate  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and  espe- 
cially those  characteristics  of  the  Divine  life 
which  are  fitted  to  constrain  our  souls  into 
strong  and  tender  devotion.  Says  St.  Fran- 
cis :  "  The  death  and  passion  of  our  Lord  is 
the  gentlest  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  strong- 
est motive  which  can  animate  our  hearts  in 
this  mortal  life;  and  it  is  quite  true  that  the 


LOVERS  OF  GOD  25 

mystical  bees  make  their  most  excellent  honey 
in  the  wounds  of  the  lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
who  was  killed,  shattered,  and  rent  on  Cal- 
vary. .  .  .  Mount  Calvary  is  the  mount  of 
Divine  love/'  But  the  communion  must  be 
wider  than  this.  Let  me  give  another  quota- 
tion from  another  of  the  old  mystics :  "  Have 
the  Lord  devoutly  before  the  eyes  of  your 
mind,  in  His  behaviour  and  in  His  ways,  as 
when  He  is  with  His  disciples,  and  when  He  is 
with  sinners,  .  .  .  setting  forth  to  thyself 
in  thy  heart  His  ways  and  His  doings;  how 
humbly  He  bore  Himself  among  men,  how 
tenderly  among  His  disciples,  how  pitiful  He 
was  to  the  poor,  how  He  despised  none  nor 
shrank  from  them,  not  even  from  the  leper; 
how  patient  under  insult;  how  compassionate 
He  was  to  the  afflicted;  how  He  despised  not 
sinners;  how  patient  He  was  of  toil  and  of 
want."  But  our  meditation  upon  these  high 
things  must  be  real  meditation,  the  meditation 
that  deepens  into  contemplation,  and  absorbs 
and  possesses  the  glory.  Our  souls  must  gaze 
upon  the  glory  until  something  of  the  sense 
of  sacred  ownership  steals  upon  them.  Po- 
litical economists  have  recently  been  saying 
very  much  about  "  the  magic  of  property." 
The  phrase  suggests  the  new  and  deeper  in- 
terest we  have  in  things  when  they  become 


26    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

our  very  own.  And  when  we  begin  to  even 
faintly  realize  that  God  has  given  Himself  to 
us,  and  we  can  truly  and  reverently  use  the 
words  "  Our  Father,''  "  Our  Saviour,"  life  be- 
comes the  home  of  wondrous  joy  and  inspira- 
tion. "  He  loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  for 
me. 

And,  in  the  second  place,  we  must  consort 
with  them  that  are  lovers  already.  It  is  well 
that  this  should  be  through  personal  inter- 
course, if  such  happy  privilege  come  our  way. 
But  if  this  immediate  fellowship  be  denied 
us,  let  us  seek  their  company  through  the 
blessed  communion  of  books.  Let  me  name 
one  or  two  of  these  great  lovers  of  God,  and 
quote  a  few  of  the  love  phrases  by  which  they 
describe  their  high  communion.  Let  us  make 
friends  with  John  Woolman,  and  hear  his 
speech  laden  with  phrases  of  this  kind :  "  A 
motion  of  love,"  a  "  fresh  and  heavenly  open- 
ing," "  the  enlargement  of  gospel  love,"  "  a 
love  clothes  me  while  I  write  which  is  superior 
to  all  expression,"  "  the  heart-tendering 
friendship  of  the  Lord,"  "  the  descendings  of 
the  heavenly  dew."  And  let  us  make  friends 
with  Samuel  Rutherford.  I  might  quote 
nearly  everything  he  has  written.  Let  this 
suffice :  "  Christ  enquired  not,  when  He  be- 
gan to  love  me,  whether  I  was  fair  or  black. 


LOVERS  OF  GOD  27 

...  He  loved  me  before  the  time  I  knew; 
but  now  I  have  the  flower  of  His  love;  His 
love  is  come  to  a  fair  bloom;  like  a  young 
rose  opened  up  out  of  the  green  leaves,  and  it 
casteth  a  strong  and  fragrant  smell."  "  If  I 
had  vessels  I  might  fill  them;  but  my  old, 
riven,  and  running-out  dish,  even  when  I  am 
at  the  well,  can  bring  little  away.  .  .  .  How 
little  of  the  sea  can  a  child  carry  in  its  hand! 
As  little  do  I  take  away  of  my  great  sea, 
my  boundless  and  running-over  Christ  Jesus." 
Would  it  not  be  a  good  thing  for  us  to 
drop  some  of  our  reading  to  spend  an  hour 
in  communions  like  these?  And  then  let 
us  seek  the  company  of  Andrew  Bonar: 
"  I  felt  something  of  that  word,"  "  my 
soul  longeth,  yea,  even  fainteth,"  "  and  I 
lay  down  this  night  intensely  desiring  to  feel 
constrained  by  the  love  of  Christ."  "  I  have 
been  getting  remarkable  glimpses  of  Divine 
love  in  answer  to  earnest  prayer  that  I  might 
know  the  love  that  passeth  knowledge."  And 
I  feel  I  must  give  my  readers  a  little  extract 
from  one  of  this  great  lover's  prayers :  "  As 
we  get  into  the  enjoyment  of  Thy  love  may  we 
find  that  we  need  scarcely  any  other  heaven, 
either  here  or  hereafter,  only  more  of  this  love 
and  the  continuance  of  it."  And  we  must 
make  friends  with  Horace  Bushnell,  a  man  of 


28    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

the  most  masculine  intellect,  and  yet  with  one 
of  the  tenderest  hearts  I  know  in  devotional 
literature.  Read  these  words,  written  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  Waramaug,  in  the  evening  of 
his  life :  "  The  question  has  not  been  whether 
I  could  somehow  get  nearer — nearer,  my  God, 
to  Thee;  but  as  if  He  had  come  out  Himself 
just  near  enough,  and  left  me  nothing  but  to 
stand  still  and  see  the  salvation ;  no  excitement, 
no  stress,  but  an  amazing  beatific  tranquillity. 
I  never  thought  I  could  possess  God  so  com- 
pletely/* "  God  comes  to  me — so  great,  be- 
nignant, pure,  and  radiant.  What  a  wonder 
is  God!  What  a  glory  for  us  to  possess 
Him !  "  Is  there  any  wonder  that  these  were 
among  his  last  words :  "  Well  now,  I  am 
going  home,  and  I  say,  the  Lord  be  with  you, 
and  in  grace,  and  peace,  and  love;  and  that  is 
the  way  I  have  come  along  home." 

There  are  many  other  great  lovers  whose 
names  might  have  been  mentioned,  and  whose 
friendship  it  would  be  well  for  us  to  cultivate. 
The  doors  of  their  hearts  are  always  open,  and 
their  fellowship  is  always  ready.  But  these 
will  suffice.  Let  me  mention  a  third  method 
by  which  we  shall  be  helped  to  become  lovers 
of  God.  I  think  we  ought  to  sing  the  songs 
of  the  great  lovers,  songs  that  will  create  and 
nurse   kindred   dispositions   in   ourselves.    I 


LOVERS  OF  GOD  29 

mean  songs  of  this  kind:  "O  love  that  will 
not  let  me  go  n  \  "  O  love  of  God,  how  strong 
and  true " ;  "  Jesus,  the  very  thought  of 
Thee";  "Jesus,  Thou  joy  of  loving  hearts"; 
"  Let  all  men  know  that  all  men  move  under  a 
canopy  of  love."  Songs  of  this  loveful,  soar- 
ing kind  will  lift  our  souls  to  heaven's  gate. 
The  ministry  of  the  lovers'  songs  is  not  fully 
appreciated  in  the  Christian  life  or  they  would 
more  frequently  be  upon  our  lips.  Bird  train- 
ers train  their  little  choristers  to  sing  through 
the  medium  of  other  birds  whose  song  is  rich 
and  full.  And  we,  too,  can  train  ourselves  to 
become  lovers  of  God  by  singing  the  songs  of 
those  whose  love  is  passionate  and  matured. 


Ill 

FORGETTING  GOD 

THERE  is  one  word  of  God  which  runs 
through  the  Scriptures  like  a  sad  and 
poignant  refrain,  "  My  people  have 
forgotten  Me."  "  Forgotten "  is  an  intense 
and  awful  word.  It  surely  expresses  the  final 
issue  in  human  alienation  from  the  Divine. 
Open  and  deliberate  revolt  against  God  shows, 
at  any  rate,  some  respect  to  His  power.  And 
even  formal  prayer,  empty  though  it  be,  offers 
some  recognition  of  God's  existence.  But  to 
forget  Him,  to  live  and  plan  and  work  as 
though  He  were  not,  to  dismiss  Him  as  insig- 
nificant— this  is  surely  the  last  expression  of  a 
separated  life.  People  are  never  really  dead 
so  long  as  they  are  remembered.  The  real 
death  is  to  be  forgotten.  How,  then,  do  we 
come  to  forget  God?  In  what  sort  of  condi- 
tions is  this  appalling  forgetfulness  brought 
about?  I  wish  to  quote  two  or  three  descrip- 
tive words  from  the  Scriptures  in  which  I 
think  some  of  these  cases  are  described. 

"Afraid  of  a  man  that  shall  die,  and  for- 
gettest  the  Lord  thy  Maker"    The  fear  of 


FORGETTING  GOD  31 

man  destroys  the  nobler  fear  of  God.  I  sup- 
pose that  one  may  say  that  two  commanding 
fears  cannot  occupy  the  soul  at  one  and  the 
same  time.  One  fear  can  drive  out  another. 
The  fear  that  is  created  by  the  cracking  of  a 
whip  can  drive  out  the  fear  which  possesses  a 
shying  horse  when  he  sees  some  unfamiliar 
object  upon  the  road.  If  a  fire  break  out  on 
a  cold  wintry  night,  the  fear  of  the  flames  can 
drive  out  of  the  soul  the  fear  of  the  frost.  It 
seems  as  though  one  fear  draws  to  itself  the 
energies  of  the  mind,  and  other  fears  are  left 
with  no  sustenance.  A  big  tree  in  a  garden- 
bed  sucks  into  its  fibres  the  juices  of  the  soil 
for  many  yards  around,  and  other  growths 
are  starved,  and  they  wither  and  die. 

So  it  is  with  "  the  fear  of  man."  It  drains 
to  itself  the  mental  energy  and  devotion  which 
ought  to  feed  the  fear  of  God.  A  politician 
who  is  moved  by  fear  of  man,  and  who  tacks 
and  trims  to  avoid  his  hostility,  can  never  re- 
tain an  efficient  thought  of  God.  So  it  is  with 
a  minister  who  is  afraid  of  man;  his  mind  is 
not  filled  with  a  vision  of  "  the  Lord  high  and 
lifted  up."  But,  indeed,  the  same  is  true  of 
anybody.  If  the  barometer  we  consult  for 
our  guidance  is  the  opinion  and  conventions  of 
man,  God  Himself  will  be  nothing.  If  we  are 
always  consulting  man,  moved  and  governed 


32    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

by  his  expediencies,  God  will  vanish  away. 
u  The  fear  of  man  is  a  snare,"  and  the  power 
of  the  snare  is  found  in  its  fascination  to  al- 
lure our  minds  from  the  Lord  of  Hosts. 
"  Afraid  of  a  man  that  shall  die,  and  forget- 
test  the  Lord  thy  Maker." 

And  here  is  another  type  from  the  portrait 
gallery  of  the  Bible.  u  Thou  hast  forgotten 
the  God  of  thy  salvation,  and  hast  not  been 
mindful  of  the  Rock  of  thy  strength."  Here 
is  a  forget  fulness  that  is  born  when  we  have 
recovered  from  some  weakness.  Pride  of 
strength  makes  us  forget  the  rock  out  of  which 
we  were  hewn.  This  is  a  most  common  and 
insidious  peril.  Our  weakness  helps  our  re- 
membrance of  God;  our  strength  is  the  friend 
of  forgetfulness.  Perhaps  this  is  most  appar- 
ent in  our  physical  weakness.  In  our  weakness 
we  remember  the  Lord,  and  the  dim  things  of 
the  unseen  come  clearly  into  view.  But  when 
our  strength  is  regained  the  vivid  vision  fades 
again,  and  is  sometimes  entirely  lost.  And  so 
our  strength  is  really  our  drug.  It  is  an 
opiate  which  ministers  to  spiritual  forgetful- 
ness. And  so  it  is  with  every  kind  of 
strength.  Frailty  in  any  direction  makes  us 
lean  upon  the  power  of  the  Almighty,  and  in 
every  frailty  our  remembrance  of  Him  is  keen 
and  clear.     But  our  strength  helps  to  create  a 


FORGETTING  GOD  33 

feeling  of  independence,  and  we  become  un- 
mindful of  our  God.  And  therefore  it  is  that 
a  man  who  never  knows  weakness  has  a  stu- 
pendous task  in  maintaining  communion  with 
God.  People  who  never  know  what  it  is  to 
be  ill  have  so  many  more  barriers  to  overcome 
in  their  fellowship  with  the  Unseen. 

And  here  is  a  third  Scriptural  type  of  spir- 
itual forgetfulness.  "  They  have  gone  from 
mountain  to  hill,  and  have  forgotten  their  rest- 
ing-places." It  is  the  figure  of  a  flock  of  wan- 
dering sheep  roaming  away  over  the  distant 
hills  and  mountains.  They  have  gone  from 
one  place  to  another,  and  in  the  range  of  their 
goings  have  forgotten  their  place  of  rest. 
Their  very  vagrancy  has  made  them  insensible 
to  their  real  home.  That  is  to  say,  their  va- 
grancy has  induced  forgetfulness. 

Now  I  think  this  word  is  very  descriptive  of 
much  of  our  modern  life.  It  is  a  vagrancy 
rather  than  a  crusade.  We  go  from  "  moun- 
tain to  hill,"  and  from  hill  to  mountain.  We 
are  always  on  the  move.  We  are  for  ever 
seeking  something  else  and  never  finding  satis- 
faction. We  get  weary  and  tired  with  one 
thing  and  we  trudge  to  another!  We  are 
here,  there,  and  yonder,  and  our  lives  become 
jaded  and  stale.  But  the  extraordinary  thing 
is  that  in  all  our  goings  we  forget  our  resting- 


34    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

place.  "Return  unto  thy  rest,  O  my  soul." 
Yes,  but  we  turn  anywhere  and  everywhere 
rather  than  to  this.  Our  lives  can  become  so 
vagrant  that  God  is  exiled  from  our  minds. 
It  seems  as  though  there  is  something  in  va- 
grancy that  stupefies  the  soul,  and  renders  us 
insensitive  to  our  true  home  and  rest  in  God. 

When  I  first  came  to  New  York,  during  the 
first  few  months  of  my  ministry,  I  was 
continually  asked  by  people,  "  Have  you  got 
into  the  whirl  ?  "  The  very  phrase  seems  so 
far  removed  from  the  words  of  the  psalmist, 
"  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures. 
He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters."  Not 
that  the  psalmist  luxuriated  in  indolence,  or 
spent  his  days  in  the  fatness  of  ease;  the  rest 
was  only  preparative  to  a  march.  "  He  lead- 
eth me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness.,,  But 
from  the  march  he  returned  to  his  resting- 
place.  But  we  can  be  caught  in  such  a  whirl 
in  our  modern  life  that  we  just  rush  from  one 
thing  to  another,  and  we  forget  the  glorious 
rest  that  is  ours  in  God.  I  think  the  enemy 
of  our  souls  must  love  to  get  us  into  a  whirl ! 
If  once  we  are  dizzied  with  sensations  we  are 
likely  to  lose  the  thought  of  God.  "  They 
have  gone  from  the  mountain  to  the  hill,  and 
have  forgotten  their  resting-place." 

Let  me  give  one  further  example  from  the 


FORGETTING  GOD  35 

Word  of  God.  "  According  to  their  pasture, 
so  were  they  filled;  they,  were  -filled,  and  their 
heart  was  exalted;  therefore  have  they  forgot- 
ten Me"  Here  is  a  rich  pasturage,  and  in  the 
enjoyment  of  it  there  is  born  the  spirit  of  for- 
getfulness.  And  surely  this  is  the  stupefac- 
tion of  abundance.  In  Southern  France, 
where  attar  of  roses  is  distilled,  a  very  curious 
ailment  imperils  the  workers.  The  very 
abundance  of  the  rose-leaves  induces  a  sort  of 
sleeping-sickness.  And  surely  it  is  even  so  in 
the  abundances  that  are  sometimes  given  to 
man.  They  are  prone  to  sink  him  into  the 
sleep  of  spiritual  forget  fulness. 

A  man's  devotion  is  apt  to  dwindle  as  he 
becomes  more  successful.  Our  piety  does 
not  keep  pace  with  our  purse.  Absorption  in 
bounty  makes  us  forgetful  of  the  Giver.  We 
can  be  so  concerned  in  the  pasturage  that  the 
Shepherd  is  forgotten.  Our  very  fulness  is 
apt  to  become  our  foe.  Our  clearest  visions 
are  given  us  in  the  winter-time  when  nature  is 
scanty  and  poor.  The  fulness  of  the  leaf 
blocks  the  outlook  and  the  distance  is  hid. 
And  the  summer-time  of  life,  when  leaves  and 
flowers  are  plentiful,  is  apt  to  bring  a  veil. 
And  the  very  plenti  fulness  impedes  our  com- 
munion. 

These  are  some  of  the  types  of  forgetful- 


36    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

ness  which  are  mentioned  and  described  in  the 
Word  of  God.  Is  there  any  help  for  us? 
There  is  a  very  gracious  promise  of  the  Mas- 
ter in  which  I  think  all  these  perils  are  antici- 
pated, and  in  the  strength  of  which  they  can 
be  met  and  overcome :  "He  shall  teach  you 
all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your  remem- 
brance, whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you." 
Here  is  the  promise  of  a  gracious  minister  to 
the  memory,  strengthening  it  in  its  hold  upon 
the  unseen.  I  suppose  that  one  of  the  most 
urgent  needs  of  the  common  life  is  the  sancti- 
fication  of  the  memory.  If  the  memory  were 
to  be  really  hallowed  it  would  forget  many 
things  which  it  now  remembers,  and  it  would 
certainly  remember  many  things  which  it  now 
forgets.  We  are  apt  to  retain  worthless 
things,  and  destructive  things,  things  that 
ought  to  have  been  dropped  and  buried  and  left 
in  their  graves  in  past  years.  But  we  carry 
them  with  us  to  our  undoing.  The  ministry  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  will  deal  with  this  unwise  re- 
tention, and  will  make  a  memory  leaky  where 
it  is  wise  for  it  to  lose.  But,  more  than  that,  it 
will  strengthen  its  powers  of  spiritual  compre- 
hension, and  will  enable  it  to  keep  hold  of  the 
unseen  and  the  eternal.  What  should  I  most 
like  to  remember?  I  should  like  to  remember 
with  unfailing  constancy  the  glorious,  holy 


FORGETTING  GOD  S7 

Being  of  the  eternal  God.  I  should  like  to 
remember  the  unspeakable  ministry  of  His 
grace,  which  worked  in  my  redemption  in 
Christ  Jesus,  my  Lord.  I  should  like  to  re- 
member the  benefits  of  His  daily  providence 
which  shine  along  my  road  in  unfailing  suc- 
cession. I  should  like  to  remember  the  eter- 
nal significance  of  transient  events,  and  hold 
the  lessons  of  yesterday's  happenings  to  guide 
me  in  my  march  to-day.  And  when  new  oc- 
casions and  new  duties  arise,  and  I  am  face 
to  face  with  novel  circumstances,  I  should  like 
to  be  reminded  of  those  words  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  which  would  give  me  the  needful  illu- 
mination :  "  He  shall  bring  all  things  to  your 
remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto 
you." 


IV 

SPIRITUAL  ABILITIES 

THE  apostolic  life  abounds  in  sugges- 
tions of  power.  It  is  not  only  that 
there  is  power  in  some  particular 
direction,  there  is  basal  executive  force  which 
gives  impetus  to  everything.  The  life  is  filled 
with  "  go "  and  "  drive "  and  strength  of 
character  and  conduct.  Power  resides  behind 
every  faculty,  and  every  disposition,  and  every 
form  of  service.  The  life  is  efficient  and 
effective.  It  is  as  though  a  man  had  a  fine 
equipment  of  tools,  but  his  hand  is  weak  and 
trembling,  and  suddenly  there  is  given  to  him 
a  mighty  strength  of  grip,  and  he  is  able  to 
seize  upon  every  tool  and  make  it  accomplish 
its  appointed  purpose.  "  Ye  shall  receive 
power  when  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon 
you,"  and  that  energy  empowered  everything, 
and  gave  intensity  and  strength  in  every  exer- 
cise of  the  apostle's  life.  Let  us  look  at  one 
or  two  directions  in  which  this  holy  power  was 
revealed. 

The  apostolic  life  was  distinguished  by  the 
strength  of  its  relationship  to  God.     It  was 
88 


SPIRITUAL  ABILITIES  39 

powerful  in  its  ability  to  believe.  We  can  do 
nothing  more  vital  to  any  man  than  to  encour- 
age and  strengthen  his  finest  faith.  When  our 
faith  in  the  Highest  is  limp  and  uncertain 
everything  lacks  assurance.  When  there  is 
lameness  in  the  movements  of  the  spirit  our 
conduct  can  never  be  firm.  And  therefore  did 
the  Holy  Spirit  energize  the  early  apostles  in 
their  supreme  relationships,  and  steadied  them 
in  their  faith.  Now,  faith  is  first  of  all  an 
attitude  and  then  an  act.  It  is  primarily  a 
spiritual  posture  which  reveals  itself  in  moral 
obedience.  And  to  be  rich  in  faith  is  to  pos- 
sess a  poise  of  soul  which  steadily  contem- 
plates and  rests  in  the  love  of  God,  in  sunshine 
and  in  shower,  and  through  all  the  changing 
seasons  and  temperatures  of  our  years. 
When  the  soul  is  thus  quietly  steadied  in  this 
spiritual  assurance,  its  faith  is  expressed  in 
manifold  holy  ministries  of  hope  and  love. 
This  ability  of  faith  is  one  of  the  radiant 
characteristics  of  the  early  Church,  and  it  was 
the  creation  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

But  just  as  apostolic  life  was  empowered  in 
its  relationship  to  God,  so  was  it  quietly  em- 
powered in  its  resistances  to  the  enemy  of 
God.  There  are  two  phrases  used  by  the 
Apostle  Paul,  in  which  this  sovereign  ability 
is  described,  "  able  to  resist  the  wiles,"  "  able 


40    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

to  quench  the  darts."  I  do  not  know  any 
third  way  in  which  the  enemy  of  God  ap- 
proaches the  souls  of  men.  He  draws  near 
to  us  in  wiles,  he  dresses  himself  in  all  kinds 
of  flattering  guises,  he  exercises  himself  in 
deceitful  mimicries,  he  uses  glosses  innumer- 
able. He  disguises  the  ugly  by  throwing 
about  it  a  seductive  limelight.  He  hides  his 
destructiveness  in  bowers  of  roses.  The 
Boers  used  to  send  their  ammunition  about  in 
piano  cases;  and  this  is  a  fitting  symbol  of 
many  of  the  stratagems  of  our  foe.  He 
comes  to  us  as  an  angel  of  light,  hiding  the 
lightning  which  is  his  peculiar  equipment.  He 
makes  the  broad  way  fascinating,  while  the 
narrow  way  often  appears  repellent.  The  en- 
trance to  the  broad  way  is  marked  by  a  glit- 
tering crown,  while  a  heavy  cross  is  hidden 
not  far  away.  The  entrance  to  the  narrow 
way  is  marked  by  a  cross,  but  the  crown  of 
life  is  not  far  away. 

And  so,  all  through  the  generations,  this 
wily  antagonist  has  been  seeking  to  ensnare 
the  children  of  God.  He  uses  attractive 
euphemisms.  He  deceives  us  by  grand 
speech.  He  makes  us  think  we  are  striding 
out  in  glorious  liberty  when  we  are  really 
moving  in  servitude.  Now,  one  of  the  great 
distinctions  of  apostolic  life  was  the  power  to 


SPIRITUAL  ABILITIES  4X 

discern  and  resist  the  insidiousness  of  the  foe, 
Their  eyes  were  anointed  with  grace,  and  they 
were  able  to  pierce  the  mere  appearance  of 
things  and  to  discriminate  between  the  holy 
and  the  profane.  They  could  distinguish 
mere  ease  from  holy  peace,  and  all  transient 
flimsiness  from  the  things  that  abide.  And 
this  vigilance  and  strength  were  the  equip- 
ment of  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  kept  the  soul 
awake  and  vigorous,  and  they  were  not  taken 
by  surprise. 

But  another  apostolic  ability  is  expressed 
in  the  kindred  phrase,  "  able  to  quench  the 
darts  of  the  evil  one."  For  sometimes  the 
enemy  comes  to  us  in  sudden  flame,  and  not 
in  seductive  light.  He  leaps  upon  us  in  an 
irritation  rather  than  steals  upon  us  in  some 
soothing  consolation.  Some  inflammatory 
suggestion  is  flung  across  the  threshold  of  the 
mind,  and  our  life  is  all  ablaze.  The  fiery 
dart  finds  congenial  material  and  life  is  con- 
sumed with  unholy  passion.  A  spark  from  a 
passing  engine  can  kindle  a  fire  which  can  de- 
stroy a  countryside;  and  the  spark  of  an 
infernal  suggestion,  or  the  merest  hint  of  criti- 
cism, or  some  transient  incident  can  convert 
the  soul  of  the  unwary  into  a  house  of  unclean 
fire.  Now,  these  early  apostles  had  a  power 
to   quench  these   darts.     It  is   a  wonderful 


42    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

equipment  to  be  kept  so  cool  and  quiet  in  dis- 
position that  when  the  inflammatory  thing  is 
thrown  it  finds  nothing  congenial  and  speedily 
dies  out.  This  is  the  ministry  of  the  Com- 
forter. 


Breathe  through  the  pulses  of  desire 
Thy  coolness  and  thy  balm. 


And  this  "  cooling "  is  the  blessed  service 
which  the  Holy  One  fulfils  in  the  souls  who 
entertain  Him  as  their  guest. 

But  there  is  still  a  third  kind  of  power  dis- 
tinguished in  apostolic  life  in  relation  to  the 
evil  one.  It  is  "  mighty  to  the  pulling  down 
of  strongholds.'*  Every  generation  is  face 
to  face  with  established  devilry.  Castellated 
wrong  rears  itself  on  every  side.  There  are 
great  vested  interests  built  upon  iniquity. 
Vice  lifts  itself  in  very  proud  mien.  Wicked- 
ness builds  itself  a  lofty  palace.  Injustice 
girds  itself  with  legality.  Mischief  is  formed 
by  a  law.  There  are  strongholds  of  iniquity. 
Every  great  reformer  has  levelled  his  attack 
upon  a  stronghold.  There  were  many  in  the 
days  of  the  early  Church,  and  a  great  many 
still  remain ;  and  our  power  of  assault,  definite 
in  aim  and  invincible  in  attack,  is  to  be  found 
in    the    indwelling    and    fellowship    of    that 


SPIRITUAL  ABILITIES  43 

mighty  Advocate  who  is  Himself   also  the 
Minister  of  our  peace. 

There  is  a  third  great  relationship  in  which 
the  New  Testament  describes  the  power  of 
those  who  are  in  communion  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  that  is  their  power  in  their  rela- 
tionship to  the  children  of  men.  "With 
great  power  gave  the  apostles  witness."  That 
is  an  ability  which  distinguished  the  early 
Church,  the  power  to  arrest  the  indifferent  by 
the  proclamation  of  spiritual  truth,  and  by 
the  confession  of  spiritual  experience.  Their 
words  were  weighted  with  the  significance 
which  crashed  through  opposition.  How 
empty  our  words  can  be!  The  Turks  have 
been  deceived  into  using  empty  cartridges,  and 
the  ministers  of  the  kingdom  are  often  victims 
of  a  like  deception.  We  indulge  in  empty 
words,  and  the  men  on  the  strongholds  laugh 
at  our  impotence.  There  is  nothing  more 
tragical  than  the  employment  of  forceless 
speech.  But  when  there  is  life  in  the  word, 
how  tremendous  is  its  passage !  "  The  words 
that  I  speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit  and  they 
are  life."  They  do  not  drop  like  dead  lead, 
or  like  dead  feathers ;  they  go  forth  like  living 
ministers  endowed  with  the  terrific  life  of 
God.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  indwelling  Part- 
ner who  fills  our  cartridges,  who  endows  our 


44    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

speech,  and  makes  our  words  the  very  vehicles 
of  heavenly  power  and  grace. 

Wing  my  words  that  they  may  reach 
The  hidden  depths  of  many  a  heart. 

There  is  one  other  power  which  I  should 
like  to  name,  which  is  mentioned  in  the  apos- 
tolic record:  "Able  to  comfort."  Is  there 
any  gift  more  gracious  than  this — to  have  a 
wallet  filled  with  oil  and  wine,  that  when  we 
meet  the  bruised  and  the  fainting  we  can  min- 
ister healing  and  inspiration?  Is  there  any 
more  beautiful  ministry  to  which  any  child  of 
man  can  be  called?  To  be  able  to  speak 
words  that  console,  to  have  a  presence  that 
heartens  and  cheers,  to  give  a  witness  that  lifts 
the  despondent  into  the  light  of  hope;  this  may 
be  the  privilege  of  all  the  friends  of  Christ 
Jesus.  They  may  have  a  ministry  in  time  of 
sorrow  like  that  of  sunlight  falling  upon  dark 
clouds.  They  may  go  down  the  gloomy  ways 
of  men,  lighting  lamps  of  encouragement  and 
hope.  "  Able  to  comfort !  "  They  have  the 
power  to  apprehend  the  ailment  and  the  sor- 
row, and  they  have  the  equipment  to  soothe 
and  to  bless.  "  Ye  shall  receive  such  power 
when  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you." 

I  feel  that  all  this  is  only  as  a  little  handful 
of  the  abilities  mentioned  in  the  Word  of  Goc{ 


SPIRITUAL  ABILITIES  45 

as  distinguishing  those  who  are  the  compan- 
ions of  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  return  to  the  word 
with  which  I  began.  Spiritual  power,  as 
given  to  us  by  God,  is  executive  power,  lying 
behind  all  our  faculties  and  dispositions.  It 
is  a  fundamental  dynamic,  and  in  it  everything 
finds  its  strength.  Here,  therefore,  we  must 
place  the  emphasis  in  our  quest  of  a  stronger 
life.  We  must  seek  the  communion  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  This  is  the  originating  fel- 
lowship in  which  vision  is  born,  and  ideals  are 
realized,  and  in  which  the  soul  is  adorned  with 
the  grace  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ. 


Vi 

CHRIST'S   HABIT   OF   PRAYER 

1WANT  to  consider  Christ's  habit  of  pri- 
vate prayer.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  very 
significant  that  He  prayed  at  all.  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  had  every  form  of  strength  which 
men  associate  with  masculine  life.  He  had 
strength  of  body.  He  had  strength  of  mind. 
He  had  strength  of  purpose  and  will.  He 
had  marvellous  strength  of  affection.  He  had 
strength  to  move  amid  foul  conditions  without 
catching  their  contagion.  He  had  extraor- 
dinary strength  of  patience.  He  was  abso- 
lutely fearless  in  the  presence  of  hostility.  He 
was  calm  and  undaunted  when  assailed  by  of- 
ficial religion.  He  had  every  form  of 
strength  which  men  count  admirable.  And 
this  man  prayed.  He  was  constantly  praying, 
and  He  was  the  strongest  who  ever  trod  the 
ways  of  men.  I  want  to  consider  two  or 
three  occasions  in  His  earthly  life  when  we 
find  Him  at  prayer. 

First  of  all,   then,   I  find  Him  in  prayer 
when  temptation  drew  near.     I  am  not  now 
thinking  of  that  early  experience  in  His  life 
46 


CHRIST'S  HABIT  OF  PRAYER      47 

which  is  known  to  us  as  the  Temptation.  I 
turn  from  that  desert  experience  to  another 
which  came  to  Him  in  the  thick  of  His  min- 
istry, after  the  purpose  of  His  redemptive 
ministry  had  been  revealed.  I  choose  the 
hour  which  preceded  the  Transfiguration. 
Nothing  is  said  about  the  tempter;  but  unless 
I  utterly  misread  the  incident,  and  misinter- 
pret the  secrets  of  common  life,  the  tempta- 
tion was  fierce  and  acute.  The  Lord  had 
manifested  His  love.  He  had  declared  His 
gracious  purpose.  He  had  sealed  His  testi- 
mony with  His  deeds.  Already  He  was  shed- 
ding His  blood  in  sacrificial  service.  And 
with  what  results?  The  horizon  was  black- 
ening with  omens  of  rejection.  The  storm  of 
hostility  was  brewing.  The  air  was  thick 
with  suspicion,  derision,  and  contempt.  Un- 
friendly eyes  glared  upon  Him  from  every 
side.  "  He  came  unto  His  own,  and  His  own 
received  Him  not."  And  just  then,  when  the 
elements  were  gathering  for  tempests,  I  read 
these  words :  "  He  went  up  into  a  mountain 
to  pray."  And  why  did  He  go  ?  Before  Him 
there  stretched  the  darkening  road  to  appall- 
ing desolation.  Yonder  loomed  the  cross. 
And  this  was  the  temptation  which,  I  think, 
approached  His  soul:  "Is  it  worth  while?" 
Should  He  go  on  to  night  and  crucifixion,  or 


48    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

there  and  then  finish  with  translation?  Rev- 
erently I  believe  these  were  the  alternatives  in 
those  days  of  gathering  gloom.  Should  He 
choose  an  immediate  re-entry  into  "  the  glory 
which  I  had  with  Thee  before  the  world  was," 
or  a  re-entry  into  the  world  of  resentment 
where  dwelt  the  evil  spirits  of  malice  and  re- 
jection? Should  He  finish  there  or  go  on  to 
the  bitter  end  ?  M  He  prayed,"  and  while  He 
prayed  He  made  His  choice.  He  would  go 
down  to  the  scene  of  rejection,  down  to  the 
waiting  multitude,  down  to  the  envious  eyes, 
down  to  the  malicious  designs,  down  to  the 
cross. 

"And  as  He  prayed  the  fashion  of  His 
countenance  was  altered."  And  no  wonder! 
We  are  always  transfigured  when  we  make 
choice  of  the  Divine  will.  There  came  a  voice 
to  Him  saying,  "  This  is  My  beloved  Son." 
"  And  they  came  down  from  the  mountain, 
and  much  people  met  Him." 

Have  we  not  known  a  similar  hour,  as  far 
as  our  own  limitations  would  permit?  Have 
we  never  been  tempted  to  ask  if  a  certain  bit 
of  blood-demanding  work  was  worth  while? 
Have  we  not  had  pointed  out  to  us  the  flip- 
pancy of  those  we  tried  to  help,  their  indif- 
ference, their  levity,  their  contempt,  and  have 
we  not  felt  the  enticement  to  lay  the  task 


CHRIST'S  HABIT  OF  PRAYER      49 

down?  There  is  that  bit  of  work  we  have 
tried  to  do  on  the  City  Council.  We  have 
laboured  for  years.  We  have  been  exposed  to 
the  insults  of  contested  elections.  And  there 
is  our  quiet  home,  with  the  wife  and  children, 
and  the  slippers  and  the  books.  Shall  we 
choose  the  abode  of  comfort,  or  return  again 
to  difficult  service  ?  Shall  we  put  on  our  slip- 
pers or  stride  out  again  on  the  heavy,  thorny 
road?  Just  at  seasons  like  these  and  at  that 
juncture  Jesus  prayed,  and  while  He  was  on 
His  knees  He  made  His  choice. 

Let  us  look  at  the  Master  again  in  the 
habit  of  prayer.  "  And  He  healed  many  that 
were  sick  of  divers  diseases,  and  cast  out  many 
devils  .  .  .  and  He  departed  into  a  solitary 
place  and  there  prayed."  But  what  need  was 
there  to  pray  just  then?  He  was  most  evi- 
dently engaged  in  doing  good.  The  newly- 
opened  eyes  of  the  blind  were  radiant  with 
thanksgiving.  The  once  lame  man  leaped  as 
a  hart.  The  Master  abounded  in  good  works, 
and  some  measure  of  popular  favour  rested 
upon  Him.     Then  why  go  apart  to  pray? 

First  of  all,  He  retired  to  pray  in  order  to 
provide  against  nervous  exhaustion.  All  this 
healing,  all  this  giving,  all  this  sympathy 
meant  large  expenditure  of  vital  power. 
"  Virtue  is  gone  out  of  Me."    And,  therefore, 


50    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

He  prayed  in  order  that  His  vital  resources 
might  be  restored.  There  is  some  work  that 
cannot  be  done  without  resort  to  Divine  com- 
munion. When  the  soul  is  drained  in  the 
ministry  of  sympathy,  there  is  nothing  for  it 
but  resort  to  the  springs,  and  there  is  nothing 
which  so  readily  and  powerfully  restores  a 
man  like  drinking  the  water  of  life.  "  They 
that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength." 

But  there  is  a  second  reason  why  our 
Saviour  prayed  when  He  was  in  the  midst  of 
successful  public  work.  He  prayed  in  order 
to  make  His  soul  secure  against  the  perils  of 
success,  against  "  the  destruction  that  wasteth 
at  noonday.' '  Success  may  bruise  the  spirit 
more  than  failure.  Heat  can  ruin  a  violin 
quite  as  effectually  as  the  chilly  damp.  Pros- 
perity slays  many  a  man  whose  health  was 
preserved  in  adversity.  Robert  Burns  was 
never  the  same  after  the  glamour  of  Edin- 
burgh. And  so  I  think  our  Lord  prayed  in 
the  hour  of  popular  favour  lest  His  very  suc- 
cess should  maim  His  life  of  service.  And 
there  is  significant  counsel  in  His  practice  for 
all  the  children  of  men.  When  we  are  busily 
successful,  let  us  pray,  and  we  need  not  "  be 
afraid  for  the  arrow  that  flieth  by  day." 

There  is  one  other  occasion  in  our  Master's 


CHRIST'S  HABIT  OF  PRAYER      51 

life  of  prayer  to  which  I  want  to  lead  the 
thoughts  of  my  readers.  "  Now  it  came  to 
pass  in  those  days  that  He  went  out  into  a 
mountain  to  pray,  and  continued  all  night  in 
prayer  to  God.  And  when  it  was  day  He 
called  unto  Him  His  disciples,  and  of  them  He 
chose  twelve."  There  was  a  night  of  prayer, 
and  then  there  was  a  great  decision.  Our 
Lord  took  time  to  pray  before  He  made  a  mo- 
mentous choice.  We  in  our  own  degree  have 
similar  choices  to  make,  both  in  our  individual 
and  corporate  life.  We  have  to  choose  our 
careers.  We  have  to  make  choice  of  turnings 
in  the  ever-winding  way.  We  have  to  choose 
our  representatives  in  the  City  Council  and  in 
Parliament.  We  have  to  choose  ministers 
and  deacons,  and  in  a  hundred  other  ways 
serious  decisions  have  to  be  made.  Why 
should  we  pray?  We  must,  first  of  all,  pray 
in  order  that  big  considerations  might  possess 
the  mind.  We  are  prone  to  live  amid  small 
motives,  tiny  purposes,  belittling  prejudices, 
partial  and  lop-sided  ambitions.  And  there  is 
nothing  kills  little  things  like  our  prayers.  If 
we  take  our  politics  into  the  realm  of  prayer, 
it  is  impossible  for  us  to  remain  wretched  par- 
tisans. We  may  give  a  party  vote,  but  our 
vision  will  reach  beyond  the  bounds  of  party, 
and  through  a  party  triumph  we  shall  seek  the 


52    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  When  we 
pray  we  move  into  the  realm  of  big  things,  big 
motives,  big  sympathies,  big  ideals.  The  big- 
gest outlooks  come  to  us  when  we  are  on  our 
knees.  And  so,  when  we  are  making  big  de- 
cisions, let  us  find  time  to  pray,  in  order  that 
the  matters  may  be  greatly  decided,  and  that 
all  little  and  belittling  intrusions  may  be  effec- 
tually destroyed. 

And  so,  if  we  are  truly  wise,  we  shall  surely 
pray.  To  cease  to  pray  is  to  build  up  the  win- 
dows of  the  soul,  to  close  the  ventilators,  to 
shut  out  air  and  light,  to  immure  the  soul  in 
an  atmosphere  devoid  of  inspiration.  And 
yet  it  is  possible  so  to  pray  that  the  spirit  of 
prayer  shall  determine  all  our  purposes,  and 
all  our  purposes  shall  be  fit  to  steal  into  our 
prayers.  A  friend  said  of  Dr.  Westcott  that 
"  he  read  and  worked  in  the  very  mind  in 
which  he  prayed,  and  his  prayer  was  of  singu- 
lar intensity."  That  is  a  great  and  gracious 
attainment,  and  I  think  we  can  all  share  the 
wonderful  triumph  which  mingles  prayerful 
aspiration  with  common  toil. 


VI 
THE  THANKFULNESS   OF  JESUS 

I  WANT  to  lead  the  meditation  of  my 
readers  to  one  of  the  private  habits  of 
our  Lord — His  habit  of  thanksgiving. 
Everyone  who  knows  the  New  Testament 
knows  how  the  apostolic  life  abounded  in 
praise.  It  runs  like  some  singing  river 
through  all  their  changing  days.  And  where 
did  they  learn  the  habit?  They  had  got  it 
from  their  Lord.  The  Master's  habit  must 
have  made  a  profound  impression  upon  them. 
There  must  have  been  something  very  distinct 
and  distinctive  about  it.  We  are  told  that 
the  two  disciples,  journeying  to  Emmaus  after 
the  awful  happenings  in  Jerusalem,  recognized 
their  risen  Lord  when  He  began  to  give 
thanks.  "  He  was  made  known  to  them  in 
the  breaking  of  bread."  They  knew  Him  by 
His  gratitude  and  by  the  manner  in  which  He 
expressed  it.  He  was  recognized  by  His 
praise.  Let  us  recall  two  or  three  examples 
of  this  shining  habit  of  our  Lord. 

"And   Jesus    took    the   loaves    and   gave 
thanks"    That  is  to  say,  He  took  common- 


54    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

place,  common  bread,  and  associated  it  with 
God,  and  it  was  no  longer  a  commonplace. 
He  gave  thanks,  and  in  the  recognition  the 
common  was  revealed  as  the  Divine.  The  or- 
dinary meal  became  a  sacrament  with  the  Un- 
seen Presence  as  real  as  we  apprehend  Him  at 
the  table  of  the  Lord. 

Now,  a  man  who  feels  the  divine  relation- 
ships of  bread  will  have  a  very  transfigured 
road.  The  man  whose  praise  is  elicited  by 
loaves  will  also  be  thankful  for  the  cornfield, 
the  sunshine,  the  dew,  and  the  rain,  for  the 
reapers  who  gather  the  corn,  for  the  touch  of 
God  in  the  labourer,  and  for  the  millstones 
which  grind  the  corn  that  makes  the  bread. 
He  who  took  the  loaves  and  gave  thanks 
would  also  give  thanks  for  the  common  lily 
of  the  field,  the  daisy  of  His  native  land.  In- 
deed, I  think  we  may  truly  say  that  the  Mas- 
ter's habit  of  praise  made  every  common  thing 
radiant,  and  every  wayside  bush  became 
aflame  with  God.  He  breathed  His  music  of 
gratitude  through  the  commonest  reeds. 

Now  unless  His  disciples  can  do  the  same, 
unless  we  can  touch  and  feel  God  in  the  com- 
monplaces, He  is  going  to  be  a  very  infrequent 
and  unfamiliar  Guest.  For  life  is  made  up 
of  very  ordinary  experiences.  Now  and 
again  a  novelty  leaps  into  the  way,  but  the 


THE  THANKFULNESS  OF  JESUS      55 

customary  tenor  is  rarely  broken.  It  is  the 
ordinary  stars  that  shine  upon  us  night  after 
night;  it  is  only  occasionally  that  a  comet 
comes  our  way.  Look  at  some  of  the  daily 
commonplaces — health,  sleep,  bread  and  but- 
ter, work,  friendship,  a  few  flowers  by  the 
wayside,  the  laughter  of  children,  the  ministry 
of  song,  the  bright  day,  the  cool  night — if  I 
do  not  perceive  God  in  these  things  I  have  a 
very  unhallowed  and  insignificant  road.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  man  who  discovers  the 
Divine  in  a  loaf  of  bread,  and  lifts  his  song  of 
praise,  has  a  wonderful  world,  for  divinity 
will  call  to  him  on  every  side. 

I  do  not  know  how  we  can  better  begin  to 
cultivate  the  Master's  habit  than  by  beginning 
with  daily  bread.  Because  if  we  begin  with 
bread  we  cannot  possibly  end  there.  If  we 
see  one  commonplace  lit  up  with  God,  other 
commonplaces  will  begin  to  be  illumined,  until 
life  will  be  like  some  city  seen  from  a  height 
by  night,  with  all  the  common  lamps  in  the 
common  streets  burning  and  shining  with 
mystic  flame.  So  let  us  begin  with  bread. 
But  let  us  give  thanks  reverently,  not  with  the 
sudden  tap  and  the  sharp,  superficial  sentence 
of  a  public  dinner.  Let  us  do  it  quietly,  ap- 
prehendingly,  with  an  effort  to  realize  the 
presence  of  the  awful,  gracious,  merciful  God. 


56    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

And  let  us  do  it  without  formality,  and  seek- 
ing deliverance  from  the  perilous  opiate  of 
words.  Let  us  change  our  phraseology,  let 
us  sometimes  bow  in  silence,  and  share 
the  significant,  worshipful  stillness  of  the 
Friends. 

Let  us  watch  our  Master  again  and  listen 
to  His  praise.  "I  thank  Thee,  Father,  Lord 
of  heaven  and  earth,  that  Thou  hast  hid  these 
things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast 
revealed  them  unto  babes"  Our  Master 
thanks  the  Father  that  spiritual  secrets  are 
not  the  perquisites  of  culture,  that  it  is  not 
by  cleverness  that  we  gain  access  into  the 
Kingdom  of  Grace.  He  gives  thanks  that 
"  these  things  "  have  not  been  made  dependent 
upon  academic  knowledge,  that  they  are  not 
the  prizes  of  the  merely  clever  and  acute,  but 
that  they  are  "  revealed  unto  babes." 

Now,  mark  this :  Out  of  six  men  only  one 
may  be  clever,  only  one  may  have  the  advan- 
tage of  knowledge,  but  all  six  may  have  the 
elementary  simplicities  of  a  child.  All  cannot 
be  "  knowing,"  but  all  can  be  docile.  All  can- 
not be  "  cute,"  but  all  can  be  humble.  All 
cannot  be  "  learned,"  but  all  can  be  trustful. 
All  cannot  attain  to  mental  sovereignty,  but  all 
may  sit  on  thrones  of  sovereign  love.  And 
it  is  upon  what  all  may  have  that  our  Lord 


THE  THANKFULNESS  OF  JESUS     57 

fixes  His  eye;  it  is  the  common  denominator 
for  which  He  offers  His  praise.  He  takes 
bread,  the  commonplace  of  life,  and  gives 
thanks;  He  takes  the  child,  the  commonalty 
among  men,  and  gives  thanks.  He  offers 
praise  for  the  commonplaces  and  the  com- 
monalties. He  gives  thanks  for  the  things 
that  are  common  to  Erasmus  and  Billy  Bray, 
to  Spurgeon  and  John  Jaspar,  to  Onesimus 
and  St.  Paul.  To  give  thanks  for  common- 
places makes  a  transfigured  world;  to  give 
thanks  for  commonalties  makes  a  transfigured 
race.  The  one  unveils  the  world  as  our 
Father's  house;  the  other  unveils  the  race  as 
our  Father's  family. 

Now,  would  it  not  be  good  to  exercise  our- 
selves in  that  form  of  praise?  Would  it  not 
be  wise  to  allow  our  minds  to  rove  over  the 
race  of  men  irrespective  of  class  and  condi- 
tion, and  search  out  the  commonalties  and  sing 
our  song  of  praise?  One  thing  such  praise 
would  do  for  us.  It  would  preserve  in  our 
minds  a  vivid  sense  of  the  relative  values  of 
things.  We  should  recognize  that  academic 
learning  is  not  to  be  mentioned  in  comparison 
with  loneliness,  that  carnal  power  has  not  the 
holy  standing  of  meekness,  and  that  mere 
eminence  is  not  to  be  counted  in  the  same 
world  with  love.     What  we  may  have  in  com- 


58    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

mon  with  the  poorest  and  most  ignorant  is  our 
most  precious  possession. 

Look  at  the  Master  once  more.  "  Then 
they  took  away  the  stone  from  the  place  where 
the  dead  was  laid.  And  Jesus  lifted  up  His 
eyes  and  said,  Father }  I  thank  Thee  that  Thou 
hast  heard  Me."  The  Master  gave  thanks  be- 
fore the  miracle  was  wrought,  while  the  dead 
was  still  lying  stiff  and  stark  in  the  tomb.  He 
offered  praise  not  for  the  victory  attained  but 
for  victory  about  to  be  won.  His  song  was 
not  for  what  He  had  received,  but  for  what  He 
was  about  to  receive.  He  gave  thanks  before 
the  dead  marched  forth,  and  before  the 
mourners'  tears  were  dried.  The  doxology 
was  sung  at  the  beginning  and  not  at  the  end. 

"Father,  I  thank  Thee  ..."  "And 
when  He  had  thus  spoken  He  cried  with  a 
loud  voice,  Lazarus,  come  forth,  and  he  that 
was  dead  came  forth."  The  sound  of  praise 
thrilled  through  the  call  that  awaked  the  dead. 

Have  we  learned  the  habit?  Is  that  the 
gracious  order  of  our  thought  and  labour? 
Sometimes  we  thank  God  for  food  we  are 
about  to  receive.  Do  we  thank  God  for 
power  we  are  about  to  receive  ?  Do  we  thank 
God  for  victory  we  are  about  to  receive  ?  Do 
I  go  forth  in  the  morning  to  the  warfare  of 
the  day  with  thanks  for  coming  victory  filling 


THE  THANKFULNESS  OP  JESUS     59 

me  with  exhilaration  and  powerful  hope? 
Did  I  rear  my  altar  of  praise  before  I  took 
my  sword?  Is  that  how  I  go  to  the  pulpit, 
thanking  God  for  victories  about  to  be  won? 
Is  that  how  I  go  to  my  class,  quietly  confident 
in  the  coming  of  my  Lord?  Is  that  how  I 
take  up  the  work  of  social  reform?  Is  the 
song  of  victory  in  the  air  before  I  enter  the 
field?  Can  I  begin  to  sing  the  song  of  har- 
vest home  as  I  go  forth  to  sow  the  seed  ?  Am 
I  sure  of  God,  so  sure  that  I  can  sing  as  soon 
as  the  struggle  begins?  That  was  the  Mas- 
ter's way.  It  was  first  the  thanks  and  then 
the  miracle. 

And  so  Jesus  assumed  that  His  prayer  was 
answered  before  He  addressed  the  dead.  And 
the  significance  of  the  act  is  this.  To  grate- 
fully assume  that  prayers  for  power  are  an- 
swered opens  the  entire  being  to  the  full  and 
gracious  influence  of  the  answer.  Gratitude 
opens  the  channels  of  the  whole  life  to  the 
incoming  of  the  Divine.  There  is  no  mood  so 
receptive  as  praise;  it  fills  the  soul  with  the 
fulness  of  God,  and  the  indwelling  God  works 
wonders,  even  to  the  raising  of  the  dead. 

I  have  given  these  three  examples  of  the 
Master's  habit  of  thanksgiving.  It  is  our 
great  wisdom  to  follow  in  His  train.  All 
manner  of  things  are  promised  to  the  grateful 


60    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

heart.  Thanksgiving  is  to  be  a  minister  of 
vigilant  sight ;  "  watch  in  the  same  with 
thanksgiving."  Thanksgiving  is  to  be  a 
stimulant  to  a  jaded  and  weary  soul :  "  Be 
not  drunken  with  wine,  .  .  .  but  be  ye 
thankful."  Thanksgiving  is  to  be  a  beauti- 
fier  of  the  regenerate  soul.  Ten  lepers  were 
purified,  only  one  was  beautified;  "he  re- 
turned to  give  thanks."  And,  lastly,  thanks- 
giving glorifies  God.  It  is  by  the  brightness 
of  our  praise  that  we  offer  the  best  witness  to 
the  goodness  and  power  of  our  God. 


VII 
THE  MAGIC  TOUCH 

WHO  does  not  remember  the  fascinat- 
ing fairy  who  filled  our  childhood 
with  wonders,  and  whose  magic 
wand  used  to  change  worn-out  shoes  into  sil- 
ver slippers,  and  tattered,  ragged  garments 
into  princely  attire,  and  dust-heaps  into  gar- 
dens full  of  bright  and  perfumed  flowers? 
How  we  followed  the  gracious  fairy  in  her 
transforming  ways ! 

But  fairyland  is  gone,  and  fairy  wonder  is 
dead.  Our  years  have  passed,  and  life  has  be- 
come sombre  with  care,  dashed  with  sorrow, 
grey  with  disappointment,  and  withered  and 
blighted  by  sin  and  shame.  If  only  something 
analogous  to  the  romance  of  childhood  could 
steal  back  into  the  sombre  years  of  manhood! 
If  only  out  of  the  unseen  spaces  some  mystic 
spirit  would  appear  who  could  transform 
dulled  and  blighted  character,  and  transform 
dulled  and  blighted  circumstances,  how  busy 
he  would  be !  Well,  here  is  an  announcement 
of  His  coming,  and  this  is  what  He  claims  to 

01 


62    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

do!  "To  give  unto  them  beauty  for  ashes, 
the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  and  the  garment 
of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness."  It 
sounds  like  the  evangel  of  some  gracious 
magician.  It  will  be  well  worth  while  to  con- 
sider His  ways. 

"Beauty  for  ashes,"  and  the  beauty  here 
suggested  is  the  coronet  or  diadem  of  a  bride. 
Some  humiliated,  sinful  soul,  soiled  with 
self -abuse,  worn  and  torn,  wearied  and 
ashamed,  is  flinging  the  ashes  of  her  penitence 
toward  heaven,  and  letting  them  fall  upon  her 
head.  Those  ashes  are  the  emblems  of  a 
burnt-out  and  wasted  day,  and  she  is  flinging 
them  towards  the  heavens  in  open  confession 
of  her  shame,  if,  perchance,  the  dead  embers 
might  be  made  to  glow  again.  And  what  does 
the  gentle  Lord  offer  this  depressed  and 
tainted  soul?  He  offers  her  the  coronet  of  a 
bride.  He  will  make  the  dejected  exile  the 
wife  of  the  Lamb.  The  poor,  wearied  drudge 
of  sin  is  to  be  honoured  by  becoming  the  con- 
sort of  the  Holy  God. 

What,  then,  is  there  in  the  figure?  There 
is  the  wonderful  love  and  devotion  of  the 
eternal,  loving  God.  God  loves  the  most 
wretched,  dejected,  sin-blasted  soul  on  earth, 
and  He  would  encircle  that  soul  with  the  dia- 
dem of  the  bride !     If  that  be  true,  the  love  of 


THE  MAGIC  TOUCH  63 

God  is  the  biggest  thing  we  can  think  about, 
and  the  most  wonderful  theme  in  human 
speech.  If  we  only  realize  that  love  on  the 
authority  of  His  Word,  life  will  be  illumined 
and  glorified  with  a  far  more  wonderful  light 
than  that  which  fills  the  soul  of  a  young  girl 
when  first  she  hears  the  whispered  word 
that  tells  the  story  of  a  pure  and  manly 
love. 

"  Oil  of  joy  for  mourning"  and  this  is  coro- 
nation oil,  consecration  oil,  the  oil  significant 
of  the  endowment  of  regal  authority  and 
power.  Who  are  to  receive  coronation? 
Those  whose  souls  are  filled  with  mourning. 
The  mourning  is  the  cry  of  defeat.  It  is  the 
wail  of  the  failure.  It  is  the  moan  of  the 
broken.  It  is  the  pathetic  cry  of  the  disor- 
dered, the  men  and  women  who  have  fallen, 
who  have  succumbed  in  moral  and  spiritual 
calamity.  That  is  to  say,  the  good  Lord 
offers  the  crown  of  restored  sovereignty  to  the 
children  of  moral  disorder.  He  offers  re- 
stored regality  to  those  who  have  "  gone  to 
pieces."  He  offers  coronation  to  those  who 
have  lost  their  crowns,  sovereignty  for  those 
who  are  bruised  and  broken.  "  He  raiseth  up 
the  poor  out  of  the  dust,  and  lifteth  the 
needy  out  of  the  dunghill,  that  He  may  set 
him  with  princes."     He  will  transform  the 


64    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

slave  into  a  monarch.     "  He  crowneth  thee 
with  loving-kindness  and  tender  mercies.', 

"  The  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of 
heaviness"  and  the  heaviness  is  that  of  dim- 
ness and  failing  light,  light  trembling  on  the 
verge  of  eclipse.  There  are  people  whose 
lives  are  like  that.  There  is  no  heat  about 
them,  and  no  radiance.  They  are  cold,  dull, 
cheerless,  funereal,  shut  in  by  encompassing 
gloom.  And  the  Magician  comes,  and  He 
offers  to  change  that  gloomy,  sombre  attire 
for  the  garment  of  praise.  For  heaviness  He 
will  give  buoyancy,  the  joy  of  the  bridal  feast 
for  heavy-footed  woe. 

Surely  this  bright,  regal,  bridal  attire  is 
what  is  lacking  in  the  religious  life  of  to-day. 
There  is  something  wrong  with  our  nobility 
when  it  is  not  crowned  with  radiance.  There 
is  something  wrong  with  our  goodwill  when  it 
does  not  bear  the  hall-mark  of  good  cheer. 
There  is  something  wrong  with  our  com- 
munion when  we  are  not  "  children  of  light" 
When  the  bridal  attire  is  missing  there  is  little 
or  nothing  about  us  to  suggest  that  we  are 
the  brides  of  the  Lamb.  How  are  men  and 
women  to  know  that  we  are  of  the  King's 
household  if  we  do  not  wear  "  the  garments 
of  salvation "  ?  How  can  they  believe  that 
we  have  gazed  upon  the  Divine  glory  if  we 


THE  MAGIC  TOUCH  65 

do  not  wear  the  splendours  of  "  the  garment 
of  praise  "  ? 

I  remember  two  significant  sentences  in  one 
of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson's  letters,  which 
express  the  common  judgment  of  the  world: 
"  I  do  not  call  that  by  the  name  of  religion 
which  fills  a  man  with  bile.  If  a  man  is  surly, 
filled  with  a  dull  and  bitter  disposition,  if  he 
be  sombre  and  melancholy,  how  can  he  wit- 
ness to  the  glories  of  the  eternal  life?  "  And 
the  other  sentence  is  this :  "  I  will  think  more 
of  his  prayers  when  I  see  in  him  a  spirit  of 
praise."  Stevenson  wanted  to  see  common 
gratitude  before  he  received  the  witness  of  a 
clamant  piety.  If  our  religion  does  not  clothe 
us  in  the  refinements  of  common  courtesies 
it  will  fail  to  win  the  interested  attention  of 
the  men  of  the  world.  A  fine  spiritual  grace, 
nobly  worn;  is  a  great  witness  for  the  Lord. 
The  distinction  between  the  Church  and  the 
world  ought  to  be  found  in  the  difference  of 
their  habits.  The  elect  ought  to  prove  their 
relationship  by  the  beauty  of  their  moral  and 
spiritual  attire. 

Do  we  believe  that  the  transformation  is 
possible?  Have  we  full  confidence  in  the 
power  of  the  Great  Magician  ?  Do  we  believe 
that  He  will  exchange  a  coronet  for  ashes, 
joyous  sovereignty  for  sullen  despair,  and  a 


66    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

garment  of  radiant  cheerfulness  for  the  spirit 
of  gloom?  If  we  do  not  believe  it,  where 
is  our  gospel  ?  If  we  do  not  believe  it,  where 
is  our  life?  The  Almighty  God  can  trans- 
form the  most  ungracious  and  unwelcome  life. 
When  He  touches  barrenness,  "the  wilderness 
and  the  solitary  place  become  glad,  and  the 
desert  rejoices  and  blossoms  like  the  rose." 
And  so  we  can  in  this  great  faith  confront  all 
the  deformities  of  our  time.  Only  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  can  these  deformities  be  made 
straight.  When  legislation  has  done  its  ut- 
most, when  education  has  had  its  last  word, 
the  waste  place  will  still  remain,  and  only  by 
the  immediate  personal  Presence  of  the  Great 
Magician  can  it  be  made  beautiful  as  the  para- 
dise of  God. 


VIII 
THE   BEQUEST   OF   PEACE 

"  "E  IW  Y  peace  I  give  unto  you."  These 
▼  I  wor<^s  gz™  immensely  deepened 
significance  from  the  circumstances 
in  which  they  were  spoken.  When  we  put 
them  into  their  surroundings  they  shine  like 
a  radiant  gem  with  a  foil  of  dark  background. 
When  the  Lord  spake  these  words  He  was  not 
resting  in  the  domestic  love  and  quietness  of 
the  home  at  Bethany.  The  air  was  thick  with 
rumours,  and  the  betrayer  had  gone  out,  and 
was  even  now  engaged  in  his  treacherous  mis- 
sion. Even  Peter's  loyalty  threatened  to  sur- 
render to  evil  popular  will.  Crucifixion  was 
not  twenty-four  hours  away.  Christ's  ene- 
mies were  at  the  very  gate.  It  was  in  cir- 
cumstances like  these,  turbulent  and  stormy, 
that  our  Lord  quietly  claimed  to  be  in  pos- 
session of  deep  and  mysterious  peace. 

"  Peace  I  leave  with  you."  The  form  of 
the  speech  is  that  of  a  customary  salutation  or 
farewell.  "  Whatsoever  house  ye  enter  let 
your  peace  be  upon  it."  But  our  Lord's 
speech  is  widely  different  from  the  common 

07 


68    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

convention.  People  had  fallen  into  the  habit 
of  saying  "  Peace  "  as  we  have  got  into  the 
habit  of  saying  "  Good-morning  "  or  "  Good- 
bye," and  there  was  as  little  vital  content  in 
one  as  in  the  other.  The  salutation  had  lost 
its  sanctity.  It  had  become  a  formality  of 
life.  The  customary  speech  was  used  just  to 
break  an  awkward  silence;  the  Lord's  was 
used  to  renew  and  enrich  the  heart.  The  con- 
ventional speech  was  idly  ceremonial;  the 
Lord's  was  a  gracious  achievement.  At  the 
best,  the  popular  speech  was  an  expression  of 
affability;  the  Lord's  benediction  was  an  in- 
valuable bequest.  When  He  said  "  Peace," 
there  was  something  accomplished,  something 
done.  It  was  not  an  affair  of  empty  words; 
it  was  a  glorious  transaction.  "  The  words 
that  I  speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit,  they 
are  life."  The  salutation  was,  therefore, 
vital  and  effective ;  it  was  a  holy  minister,  con- 
veying inconceivable  treasures  to  the  hearts 
of  men. 

"  My  peace  I  give  unto  you."  What  is  the 
nature  of  this  peace?  First  of  all  it  is  Tight- 
ness with  God.  When  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
brings  His  own  peace  into  the  hearts  of  men, 
they  become  inherently  sound  by  becoming 
fundamentally  at  one  with  God.  It  is  very 
significant  that  the  radical  meaning  of  the 


THE  BEQUEST  OF  PEACE         69 

original  word  is  suggestive  of  union;  two 
sundered  things  are  brought  together  again. 
And  the  gift  of  peace  means  a  recovery  of 
healthy  fellowship  between  the  soul  and  the 
eternal  God.  Now  let  it  be  understood  at 
once  that  the  gift  of  peace  does  not  imply  per- 
fection. There  may  be  a  general  "  Tight- 
ness "  in  the  relationship  between  man  and 
wife,  and  yet  there  may  be  an  occasional  mis- 
understanding, even  a  temporary  outburst  of 
temper,  while  nothing  fundamental  becomes 
crooked  or  perverse.  A  general  "  Tightness  " 
or  healthiness  of  the  body  is  consistent  with 
an  occasional  chill  or  superficial  scratch  or 
pain.  There  may  be  a  temporary  derange- 
ment while  the  heart  is  as  sound  as  a  bell. 
Our  Lord  acknowledged  this  possibility  in 
His  own  gracious  teachings.  Men  may  be 
essentially  right  with  God  who  are  not  yet  by 
any  means  perfect.  Even  a  man  who  has 
been  bathed  "  needeth  to  wash  his  feet."  And 
so  peace  consists  essentially  in  this  innermost 
"  Tightness "  with  God.  The  general  life 
tends  toward  the  highest.  Its  primary  ambi- 
tions are  fixed  upon  the  good  pleasure  of  God. 
There  is  intimacy  of  fellowship.  There  is  an 
open  road.  There  is  a  ladder  of  communion 
on  which  the  angels  ascend  and  descend  con- 
tinually.    The  peace  that  the  Lord  gives  en- 


70    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

ables  the  soul  to  say  with  glad  humility,  "  I 
and  my  Father  are  one." 

And  secondly,  if  peace  is  fundamental 
Tightness  with  God,  it  is  also  fundamental 
union  with  God's  universe.  Natural  forces 
become  the  friendly  allies  of  men  who  are 
right  with  God.  "  The  whole  creation  groan- 
eth  and  waiteth  for  the  manifestation  of  the 
children  of  God."  When  a  man  is  one  with 
the  Maker  he  has  the  co-operation  of  all  the 
Maker  has  made.  The  winds  and  currents 
are  his  friends.  "  The  stars  in  their  courses  " 
fight  on  his  side.  There  is  established  "  a 
covenant  between  him  and  the  stones  of  the 
field."  And  so  peace  is  the  condition  of  the 
soul  in  its  God-purposed  relationship  of  being 
right  with  Him  and  one  with  the  movements 
of  the  Divine  order  in  the  world. 

Now,  our  Lord  had  this  peace.  It  was  His 
through  all  His  changing  days.  It  was  inde- 
pendent of  seasons,  and  He  had  it  "  in  the 
dark  and  cloudy  day."  And,  therefore,  there 
are  certain  things  we  can  say  about  it.  This 
peace  can  exist  in  the  midst  of  apparent  de- 
feat. It  does  not  require  success  to  assure 
one  of  its  presence.  We  can  have  God's 
peace  and  yet  be  apparent  failures  in  the 
world.  For  look  at  our  Saviour  Himself. 
Look  at  His  position  when  the  words  were  ut- 


THE  BEQUEST  OF  PEACE         71 

tered.  The  antagonism  of  the  multitude  was 
approaching  culmination.  Despite  His  wealth 
of  gracious  deeds  He  was  everywhere  met 
with  deep  and  fierce  resentment.  Even  His 
own  disciples  pathetically  misunderstood  His 
mission.  After  a  training  of  three  years, 
when  He  had  daily  led  them  into  the  realm 
of  the  Spirit  and  into  communion  with  the 
Highest,  they  had  just  been  quarrelling  one 
with  another,  "  Who  should  be  greatest." 
One  of  the  disciples  was  the  victim  of  greed, 
and  he  deliberately  sold  his  Lord  for  thirty 
pieces  of  silver.  The  rest  of  the  disciples 
were  becoming  fearful,  and  the  mood  of  de- 
sertion was  upon  them.  Crucifixion  was  at 
hand.  What  an  apparent  failure!  From  the 
worldly  point  of  view  everything  had  gone 
wrong.  And  yet,  in  spite  of  everything,  the 
Lord  retained  His  condition  of  peace.  And 
so  it  may  be  with  the  Lord's  disciples.  The 
applause  of  men  may  not  gratify  our  ears.  No 
worldly  garland  may  be  put  upon  our  brow. 
We  may  climb  unto  no  high  place  in  the 
world's  esteem.  We  may  stumble  along  a 
painful  way,  we  may  be  continually  jostled 
and  elbowed  into  the  rear  of  the  competing 
crowd,  and  yet  we  may  have  fundamental 
"  Tightness  "  with  God  and  share  with  Jesus 
the  condition  of  heavenly  peace. 


72    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

If  Jesus  Christ  had  this  peace,  then  its  pos- 
session does  not  make  us  incapable  of  sorrow. 
No;  it  would  be  more  true  to  say  that  this 
peace  makes  us  more  capable  of  sorrow,  for 
to  be  right  with  God  is  to  be  sensitive  to  His 
joys  and  sorrows,  and  to  share  them.  The 
Master  who  spake  about  "  My  peace  "  wept 
over  Jerusalem,  and  His  heart  was  torn  by 
the  contemplation  of  the  sins  of  the  city.  He 
wept  by  the  grave  of  Lazarus  as  He  called  to 
mind  the  accumulated  common  sorrows  of  the 
world.  He  wept  over  the  vagrant,  aimless 
multitude,  for  what  is  "  compassion "  but  a 
most  refined  and  delicate  form  of  grief?  He 
saw  that  the  crowd  was  wayward  and  vagrant, 
purposeless,  moving  here  and  there  in  constant 
danger,  and  He  pitied  the  crowd  with  a  pity 
that  redeemed  it.  Thus  the  Lord  had  an  in- 
finite capacity  for  sorrow,  and  yet  He  was 
in  possession  of  peace.  It  is  even  so  with  His 
disciples.  The  Apostle  Paul  used  words 
which  are  seemingly  inconsistent  with  one  an- 
other, "What  sorrow  I  have!"  "What 
travail !  "  "  How  I  agonize !  "  And  yet  he 
could  also  speak  of  "  The  peace  of  God  which 
passeth  understanding."  He  was  funda- 
mentally right  with  God,  but  the  fountain  of 
tears  was  not  dried  up. 


THE  BEQUEST  OF  PEACE         173 

Peace,  perfect  peace,  with  sorrows  surging  round? 
On  Jesus'  bosom  naught  but  peace  is  found. 

And  then,  in  the  third  place,  it  is  evident 
that  the  possession  of  peace  does  not  banish 
the  possibility  of  temptation.  Our  Master, 
who  claimed  the  possession  of  peace,  was 
tempted  on  every  side.  He  had  the  tempta- 
tions that  besiege  the  flesh  and  seek  the  un- 
lawful gratification  of  appetite.  He  had  the 
temptations  which  assail  the  mind  and  seek  to 
entice  it  to  mental  presumption.  He  had  the 
temptations  which  waylay  the  soul  and  seek 
to  seduce  it  into  illicit  homage.  And  these 
temptations  were  repeated  throughout  His 
life.  He  was  essentially  at  one  with  the 
Father,  and  yet  temptations  were  never  away 
from  His  door.  It  is  well  for  us  to  remem- 
ber this.  We  are  sometimes  inclined  to  sus- 
pect the  reality  of  our  union  with  God  by  the 
number  and  prevalence  of  our  snares.  We 
are  apt  to  regard  our  temptations  as  signs  of 
our  detachment  from  the  Master.  We  may 
be  at  peace  when  temptations  crowd  the  field. 
"  Thou  preparest  a  table  before  me  in  the 
presence  of  mine  enemies."  God's  saints 
have  in  all  generations  sat  at  that  table,  and 
their  souls  have  been  filled  with  holy  laughter 
in  the  confidence  of  their  God. 

Now  this  wonderful  peace  is  the  gift  of  the 


74    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

Lord  Jesus.  "  I  give  unto  you."  All  that  is 
requisite  for  us  to  possess  the  gift  is  in  the 
power  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  In  Him  we  have 
the  forgiveness  of  sin.  In  Him  we  obtain  the 
mystic  union  with  our  God.  In  Him  we  find 
the  secret  strength  of  holy  continuance.  All 
are  "  His  and  His  alone."  This  peace  is  not 
the  perquisite  of  some  particular  tempera- 
ment. It  is  not  the  attainment  of  painful  ef- 
fort and  service.  It  is  not  the  refined  fruit 
of  prolonged  culture.  It  is  a  legacy.  "  Peace 
I  leave  with  you."  It  is  a  gift;  "  My  peace  I 
give  unto  you."     "  He  is  our  peace." 

And  there  are  two  ways  in  which  this  gift 
of  peace  differs  from  the  gifts  of  the  world. 
In  the  first  place,  it  differs  in  the  matter  of  the 
gift.  When  the  world  seeks  to  give  peace  it 
addresses  itself  to  conditions;  the  Lord 
addresses  Himself  to  character.  The  world 
deals  with  things;  the  Lord  deals  with  kin- 
ships. The  world  keeps  in  the  material 
realm;  Jesus  Christ  moves  in  the  spiritual 
realm.  The  world  offers  to  put  us  into  a  fine 
house;  the  Lord  offers  to  make  a  fine  tenant. 
The  world  will  introduce  us  into  "  fine  so- 
ciety ";  Jesus  will  make  us  at  home  with  God. 

In  the  second  place,  our  Lord  differs  from 
the  world  in  the  manner  of  His  giving.  The 
world  always  gives  its  best  at  the  beginning. 


THE  BEQUEST  OF  PEACE         75 

It  offers  gaudy  garlands,  brimming  cups,  and 
glittering  crowns.  "  But  knowest  thou  not  it 
shall  be  bitterness  in  the  latter  end?"  It 
makes  an  imposing  fire,  but  we  are  speedily 
left  with  the  ashes.  It  leads  us  to  a  showy 
feast,  but  we  soon  encounter  aches  and  pains. 
It  blinds  us  with  the  "  garish  day " ;  then 
come  chill  twilight  and  uncompanionable 
night.  "  Not  as  the  world  giveth  give  I." 
He  keeps  His  good  wine  until  last.  He 
leads  us  from  grace  to  grace,  from  faith 
to  faith,  from  glory  to  glory.  "  Greater 
things  than  these  shall  we  see."  His  gifts 
grow  deeper,  richer,  fuller,  right  through  the 
eternal  years. 


IX 

SEEKING   THE   BEST 

"r  #  *  HE  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  unto 
m  a  merchantman  seeking  goodly  pearls" 
This  sentence  gives  us  one  great  char- 
acteristic of  the  kingly  life,  for  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  are  the 
kingly  men  and  women.  They  move  in  great 
stateliness  through  the  Word  of  God.  They 
are  distinguished  by  humility  and  dignity,  by 
a  certain  retirement  which  is  allied  with  the 
most  mysterious  glory.  Great  images  are 
used  to  suggest  the  greatness  of  their  charac- 
ter. They  move  in  impressive  lordship  and 
liberty.  They  are  kings  and  priests  unto  God. 
And  here  I  say  is  one  of  their  distinctions; 
they  are  seeking  goodly  pearls. 

And  so  the  kingly  life  is  a  life  in  quest  of 
big  things.  Everyone  is  painfully  familiar 
with  the  temptation  to  fritter  away  life  in  in- 
terests that  are  small  and  mean.  There  are 
many  Scriptural  types  of  the  wasteful  and  be- 
littled life.  There  are  those  who  spend  their 
strength  in  seeking  money.  The  concentrated 
purpose  of  their  days  is  a  quest  for  gold. 
76 


SEEKING  THE  BEST  ffi 

They  are  zealous  for  artificial  gems  and  they 
miss  the  goodly  pearls.  Judas  Iscariot  had 
the  priceless  privilege  of  communion  with  his 
Lord.  He  had  the  incomparable  glory  of  liv- 
ing with  the  Master  day  by  day — the  opportu- 
nity of  entering  into  the  "  inheritance  of  the 
saints  in  light,"  and  he  used  his  privilege  in 
the  quest  for  money,  and  all  that  he  got  out 
of  his  supreme  advantage  was  thirty  pieces  of 
silver.     He  missed  the  pearls. 

And  here  is  another  Scriptural  type  de- 
scribed as  "  lovers  of  pleasure  more  than  lov- 
ers of  God."  They  sought  the  transitory 
rather  than  the  eternal.  They  were  more  intent 
upon  the  carnal  than  the  Divine.  They  were 
out  seeking  rockets  and  ignoring  dawns. 
All  that  they  got  from  life  was  a  transient 
flash.     They  missed  the  goodly  pearl. 

Here  is  another  from  the  Scriptural  gallery 
of  disastrous  failures.  "  Demas  has  forsaken 
me,  having  loved  this  present  evil  world." 
Think  of  that  man's  opportunity!  He  had 
the  privilege  of  the  fellowship  of  the  Apostle 
Paul,  but  he  "  loved  the  garish  day,"  and  he 
preferred  glamour  to  serenity  and  a  loud 
sensation  to  an  ideal  friendship.  The  world 
offered  a  Bohemian  hour,  and  he  took  it,  and 
the  end  thereof  was  found  in  the  white,  cold 
ashes  of  moral  defeat.     Thus  life  is  frittered 


78    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

away  on  a  thousand  trifles,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  restless  quest  we  have  no  pearls. 

Now  the  big  things  of  life  belong  to  the 
realm  of  spirit  and  character.  It  is  in  the 
region  of  the  soul  that  we  find  the  pearls.  The 
really  goodly  things,  the  big  things,  are  inside 
and  not  outside  the  man.  The  big  thing  is 
not  luxury,  but  contentment;  not  a  big  house, 
but  a  big  satisfaction;  not  accumulated  art 
treasures,  but  a  fine,  artistic  appreciation;  not 
a  big  library,  but  a  serene  studiousness ;  not  a 
big  estate,  but  a  large  vision.  The  big  things 
are  not  "  the  things  that  are  seen,  but  the 
things  that  are  not  seen."  "  Seek  peace  and 
ensue  it."  "  Seek  the  things  that  are  above." 
"  Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His 
righteousness."     Such  are  the  goodly  pearls. 

But  the  quest  of  the  kingly  man  is  not  only 
for  the  big  things — it  is  for  the  bigger  things 
among  the  big,  and  for  the  biggest  among 
them  all.  The  merchantman  was  not  only  in 
search  of  goodly  pearls;  he  discriminated 
among  the  values  of  pearls,  and  he  knew  when 
he  had  found  "  one  pearl  of  great  price." 
There  are  gradations  of  value  even  among 
good  things.  There  are  pearls  and  better 
pearls,  and  the  true  king  in  life  is  known  by 
his  pursuit  of  the  best.  Knowledge  is  a  good 
thing,  the  mastery  of  the  secrets  of  the  visible 


SEEKING  THE  BEST  79 

world;  wisdom  is  a  better  thing,  the  posses- 
sion of  fine  judgment  and  delicate  intuition, 
of  moral  and  spiritual  discernment.  Ac- 
quaintance is  a  good  thing ;  friendship  is  a  bet- 
ter thing;  love  is  the  best  thing.  The  respect 
of  others  is  a  good  thing;  self-respect  is  a  bet- 
ter thing;  a  fine,  untroubled  conscience  is  the 
best  thing.  Love  for  our  lovers  is  a  good 
thing;  love  for  our  neighbours  is  a  better 
thing;  love  for  our  enemies  is  the  best  thing. 
There  are  pearls  and  there  are  pearls  of  great 
price.  And  so  this,  I  say,  is  a  mark  of  the 
children  of  the  kingdom.  They  are  always  in 
quest  of  something  beyond.  "  Not  as  though 
I  had  already  attained,  either  were  already 
perfect,  but  I  press  on."  There  is  ever  a 
height  beyond,  a  better  pearl  still  to  win. 
"  Glories  upon  glories  hath  our  God  prepared, 
by  the  souls  that  love  Him  one  day  to  be 
shared."  Such  is  the  aim  of  the  kingly  quest. 
It  is  in  search  of  the  goodliest  among  the 
goodly  pearls. 

Now  let  us  look  at  the  quality  of  the  quest. 
A  kingly  man  is  "  like  unto  a  merchantman. " 
So  the  pearls  are  not  found  by  the  loafer,  by 
the  mere  strolling  fiddler  along  life's  way. 
We  are  to  have  the  characteristics  of  business 
men,  even  when  we  are  engaged  in  the  affairs 
nf  the  Highest.     If  only  we  assume  that  re- 


80    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

quirement  as  an  essential  condition  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven,  a  thousand  religious 
failures  will  be  at  once  explained.  The  ma- 
jority of  us  are  about  as  little  like  merchant- 
men in  our  religious  life  as  could  be  very  well 
conceived.  And  yet  this  is  the  Master's  de- 
mand. We  are  to  be  business-like  in  our 
search  for  pearls.  And  if  we  are  to  be  busi- 
ness-like what  will  be  some  of  our  character- 
istics ? 

First  of  all,  we  shall  have  breadth  of  out- 
look. A  good  merchant  has  an  eye  for  new 
markets,  for  fresh  opportunities  in  new  fields. 
He  watches  drifts  and  tendencies,  movements 
of  population,  and  he  is  the  alert  friend  of 
every  new  discovery.  His  eyes  roam  over 
wide  areas  in  quest  of  new  openings  to  push 
his  trade.  And  so  it  is  in  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven.  The  man  of  the  kingly  life  must 
seek  his  pearls  in  many  markets  and  over  wide 
fields.  He  must  seek  them  in  worship  and  in 
prayer  and  in  praise.  He  must  look  for  them 
in  the  crowded  places  of  human  fellowship. 
He  must  search  the  wide  expanse  of  literature. 
He  must  busy  himself  with  the  treasures  of 
history.  He  must  be  curious  in  the  bright 
domain  of  wit  and  humour.  He  must  be 
wakeful  even  on  the  battlefield,  when  he  is  in 
combat  with  hostile  forces,  as  well  as  in  the 


SEEKING  THE  BEST  81 

quieter  places  of  human  service  and  com- 
munion. He  must  assume  that  anywhere  and 
everywhere  he  may  find  a  goodly  pearl.  So 
he  must  have  an  eye  for  markets  at  every  hour 
of  the  day  and  amid  all  the  change  and  vari- 
eties of  human  experience.  This  he  must  do 
if  he  would  be  a  "  merchantman  seeking 
goodly  pearls." 

And,  secondly,  he  must  have  the  ability  to 
fix  attention  on  details.  The  vision  of  a  mer- 
chantman is  not  only  telescopic,  it  is  micro- 
scopic. "  He  lets  nothing  escape  him."  He 
knows  the  weight  and  force  of  apparent  noth- 
ings; he  knows  the  value  of  seeming  trifles. 
He  often  finds  his  treasure  in  things  that  other 
men  despise  or  throw  away.  He  is  very  in- 
quisitive when  he  finds  apparent  waste,  if  by 
chance  he  may  turn  it  into  gold.  So  must  it 
be  in  the  quest  for  the  goodly  pearls  of  the 
Kingdom.  We  must  give  keen  attention  to 
the  neglected  trifles  of  life.  Lowly  duties 
must  be  carefully  scanned.  Small  disappoint- 
ments must  be  examined  as  though  they  were 
dark  caskets  containing  possible  treasure.  Even 
commonplace  courtesies  must  not  be  scouted, 
but  must  be  regarded  as  a  possible  hiding  place 
of  priceless  gems.  The  Master  Himself  de- 
scribed the  man  of  fine  quest  as  being  "  faith- 
ful in  that  which  is  least."     He  does  little 


82    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

things  in  a  great  way,  and  he  makes  great  dis- 
coveries in  doing  them. 

Thirdly,  the  kingly  life  must  be  distin- 
guished by  method  and  order.  A  fine  busi- 
ness man  must  have  method  in  his  work.  He 
has  not  only  principles,  he  has  rules;  he  has 
not  only  a  general  system,  he  has  a  detailed 
order.  Men  who  have  no  method  are  soon 
compelled  to  close  their  doors.  And  so  it  is  in 
the  life  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  We  do 
not  stroll  carelessly  up  to  the  pearls  and  find 
them  in  some  haphazard  and  vagrant  loitering. 
No  man  lounges  into  any  treasure  that  is 
worth  having.  And  that  is  why  so  many  of 
us  are  very  poor  in  the  things  of  the  Kingdom. 
We  have  no  order  and  method,  and  the  work 
of  one  hour  is  undone  by  the  hour  that  suc- 
ceeds it.  Look  at  our  prayers.  .How  un- 
methodical and  disorderly?  Are  they  likely 
to  find  any  pearls?  Look  at  our  worship. 
How  little  intelligent  quest  is  in  it!  Is  it 
likely  to  discover  any  pearls?  Look  at  our 
service.  How  careless  it  often  is  and  how 
pointless  and  unprepared!  There  are  abun- 
dant signs  that  even  our  Lord  Himself  regu- 
lated His  life  and  refused  to  allow  it  to  frivol 
away  in  indefinite  purpose  and  desire. 

Lastly,  the  man  in  search  of  goodly  pearls 
must  be  distinguished  by  decision.     A  compe- 


SEEKING  THE  BEST  83 

tent  merchantman  knows  when  to  act,  and  at 
the  decisive  moment  he  acts  with  commanding 
promptness.  He  watches  circumstances  when 
they  are  ripening,  and  at  the  proper  moment 
he  plucks  the  fruit.  There  are  times  in  a  busi- 
ness man's  life  when  promptness  requires 
great  courage.  There  is  a  demand  for  risk 
and  speculation  and  untried  enterprise,  and 
timidity  would  let  the  promising  circumstance 
go  by  and  lose  its  bounty.  So  is  it  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.  Here,  too,  there  are 
"  tides  in  the  affairs  of  men  which,  taken  at 
the  flood,  lead  on  to  fortune."  It  is  a  great 
thing  to  know  when  the  hour  is  ripe  for  de- 
cision. It  is  one  of  the  fine  arts  of  living  to 
know  when  to  act  upon  an  impulse,  and  when 
to  accept  the  hints  of  emotion  as  the  signs  of 
a  favouring  gale.  Here  again  our  Lord  is  our 
example.  He  was  very  patient,  but  He  was 
always  very  decisive.  No  one  could  move 
Him  before  the  appointed  time.  No  one 
could  stop  Him  when  He  said,  "  The  hour  has 
come."  Such  is  to  be  the  quality  of  our 
quest.  We  are  to  be  like  merchantmen,  broad 
in  outlook,  vigilant  for  detail,  intelligent  in 
method,  and  decisive  in  action. 

With  such  a  spirit  we  shall  undoubtedly 
discover  the  goodly  pearls,  and  we  shall  dis- 
cover the  best  of  all,   "the  pearl  of  great 


84    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

price."  But  for  that  pearl  we  may  have  to 
sell  many  others.  What  are  we  prepared  to 
give  for  it?  What  are  we  ready  to  surren- 
der? According  to  our  consecrated  enterprise 
will  be  our  holy  gains.  If  we  refuse  to  part 
with  Mammon  we  can  never  possess  the  Lord. 
If  we  contentedly  hug  the  good  we  can  never 
gain  the  better.  If  we  take  our  ease  in  the 
realm  of  the  better  we  can  never  enter  the  best. 
What  are  we  ready  to  lose  for  Christ? 

Were  the  whole  realm  of  nature  mine, 
That  were  an  offering  far  too  small. 

Love  so  amazing,  so  divine, 
Demands  my  life,  my  soul,  my  all. 


WITHERED   HANDS 

ALL  the  miracles  of  our  Lord  are  pur- 
posed to  be  symbols  of  analogous 
works  which  can  be  wrought  in  the 
soul.  "  But  that  ye  may  know  that  the  Son 
of  Man  hath  power  "  to  heal  and  emancipate 
the  spirit  He  restored  a  paralyzed  body  to 
freedom.  He  drove  the  palsy  out  of  the  body 
as  a  token  that  He  could  drive  the  palsy  out 
of  the  soul.  He  could  impart  the  same 
strength  and  buoyancy  and  agility  to  the  one 
as  He  had  given  to  the  other.  And  so  it  is 
with  all  the  miracles  of  our  Lord;  they  are 
types  of  the  "  greater  things  than  these " 
which  He  can  work  among  the  secret  needs  of 
the  spirit.  Here  was  a  man  with  a  with- 
ered hand.  A  legend  comes  along  the  centu- 
ries that  he  was  a  bricklayer,  an  ordinary 
working  man,  who  had  been  reduced  to  impo- 
tence by  the  loss  of  the  member  he  needed 
most.  But  his  calamity  had  not  embittered 
him  or  made  him  spiritually  insensitive.  He 
was  found  in  the  synagogue  seeking  com- 
munion with  God.  And  there  the  Master  met 
85 


86    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

him  and  restored  life  to  his  withered  limb,  and 
he  was  whole  again. 

Now  there  are  withered  faculties  of  the 
soul.  There  are  spiritual  members  that  can 
become  dry  and  impotent.  There  are  myste- 
rious hands  which  can  lose  their  grip  and  even 
their  power  to  apprehend  the  heights.  And  a 
diseased  faculty  can  impair  the  strength  of  the 
entire  life.  It  can  check  our  spiritual  prog- 
ress, and  impair  the  vigour  of  moral  aspira- 
tion and  service.  And  these  withered  limbs 
can  be  found  in  the  Church.  They  are 
brought  into  the  place  of  worship,  and  they 
are  often  taken  out  again  withered  and  dead. 
We  do  not  establish  the  communion  with  the 
Healer  which  insures  the  ministry  of  the  irre- 
sistible forces  of  grace. 

The  faculty  of  love  can  be  a  withered  hand. 
It  can  shrivel  away  until  it  has  no  strength,  no 
reach,  no  hold.  I  suppose  we  may  test  the 
quality  of  love  by  the  length  and  strength  of 
its  apprehension.  How  far  can  it  stretch? 
What  is  the  intensity  of  its  grip?  How  long 
can  it  hold  out?  The  people  who  have  the 
strongest  love  have  the  fullest  assurance  of 
moral  triumph.  It  is  sometimes  said  that 
money  can  unlock  any  door.  The  statement 
is  the  merest  nonsense.  There  are  treasure- 
houses,  the  most  real  and  the  best,  that  money 


WITHERED  HANDS  87 

can  never  touch.  Love  is  the  great  "  open 
sesame."  A  man  with  a  fine  love  burns  his 
way  like  fervent  iron  through  ice.  He  pierces 
through  every  difficulty,  and  nothing  is  al- 
lowed to  obstruct  his  way.  "  Love  never 
faileth."  But  when  the  love  itself  begins  to 
wither,  like  a  limb  that  shrivels  through  lack 
of  vitality,  life  is  comparatively  impotent. 
And  how  frequently  we  see  this  spiritual 
tragedy !  "  I  have  something  against  thee, 
thou  hast  lost  thy  first  love.,,  It  is  the  disease 
of  the  withered  hand.  Something  has  hap- 
pened at  the  very  fountains  of  vitality,  and 
love  sickens  and  dies. 

The  faculty  of  hope  can  be  like  a  withered 
hand.  Think  for  a  moment  of  a  man  en- 
dowed with  brilliant  hope,  pursuing  some  per- 
sonal quest  or  engaged  in  some  social  crusade. 
What  power  there  is  in  his  goings!  What 
spring  there  is  in  the  feet  of  a  man  who  "  feels 
the  days  before  him  " !  The  man  who  lays 
hold  of  the  triumph  of  to-morrow  has  a 
mighty  inspiration  in  the  battle  of  to-day. 
The  man  who  sees  "  the  holy  city,  New  Jeru- 
salem, coming  down  out  of  heaven  from  God  " 
is  a  glorious  labourer  in  the  Jerusalem  that  is, 
seeking  to  transform  and  transfigure  it  into 
the  light  and  beauty  of  his  vision.  The  man 
endowed  with  hope  is  a  magnificent  worker. 


88    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

He  sees  the  diamond  in  the  carbon;  he  sees 
the  finished  garden  in  the  desert  waste.  But 
if  hope  shrivels  into  despondency,  or  dies 
away  in  despair,  how  helpless  is  the  man  who 
touches  the  task!  It  is  hope  that  fetches  the 
bread  that  feeds  endeavour;  it  is  hope  that 
sustains  the  life.  We  are  "  saved  by  hope." 
But  let  hope  shrivel,  and  a  dulness  steals  over 
the  spirit;  laxity  and  limpness  take  possession 
of  the  soul.  When  a  man  can  say,  "  I  have 
lost  my  hope,"  he  is  a  man  with  a  withered 
hand. 

The  conscience  can  be  a  withered  hand.  A 
live  conscience  gives  a  man  a  fine,  nervous, 
sensitive,  "  feeling "  touch  of  the  mind  of 
God.  It  gives  a  man  a  discerning  apprehen- 
sion of  right  and  wrong.  When  the  feeling 
is  really  sensitive,  what  confidence  it  imparts 
to  life's  movements,  what  firmness,  what  mo- 
tion, what  decision !  But  the  conscience  can 
be  benumbed.  It  can  become  as  unresponsive 
as  a  paralyzed  hand.  Common  experience  af- 
fords abundant  illustration.  There  are  many 
people  who  were  once  endowed  with  a  scrupu- 
lous moral  sense,  and  in  some  way  or  other  it 
has  lost  its  exquisiteness,  and  they  no  longer 
finely  realize  the  will  of  God.  The  withering 
is  made  manifest  in  apparently  small  disloyal- 
ties.    We  do  not  sustain  the  sense  of  honour 


WITHERED  HANDS  89 

in  the  full  round  of  common  life.  There  are 
ministers  who  are  intensely  scrupulous  about 
orthodoxy  who  are  not  equally  scrupulous  in 
more  practical  obligations.  They  shrink  from 
heresy;  they  do  not  shrink  from  debt.  I  have 
known  people  deface  other  people's  property 
by  writing  Scriptural  texts  upon  it!  They 
have  a  sensitive  desire  to  serve  the  Lord,  but 
their  honour  is  not  keen  enough  to  make  them 
respect  the  common  rights  of  their  fellows. 
And  often  the  unscrupulous  may  degenerate 
into  the  vicious.  Moral  unsoundness  is  like 
every  other  disease,  it  can  proceed  from  the 
apparent  trifle  until  it  corrupts  the  pillars  of 
the  life.  Poison  can  begin  with  a  pin-prick 
and  may  at  length  reach  the  heart.  A  wither- 
ing conscience  is  an  unspeakable  peril.  A  with- 
ering conscience  indicates  that  a  man  is  dead. 
The  will  may  be  like  a  withered  hand. 
What  a  strong,  pushful,  resourceful  hand  it  is 
when  it  is  endowed  with  healthy  vitality !  But 
when  it  withers,  everything  is  touched  with 
irresolution  and  hesitancy.  Nothing  is  ini- 
tiated with  power.  Nothing  is  addressed 
with  persistence.  Nothing  is  accomplished 
with  decision.  A  feeble  will  makes  all  life's 
doings  anaemic.  Everything  is  languid,  from 
the  sickly  promise  to  the  imperfect  achieve- 
ment. 


90    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

What  can  we  do  with  all  or  any  of  these 
faculties  of  the  soul?  We  have  only  one  re- 
source. We  can  bring  them  to  Him  who 
made  them,  and  who  can  remake  them  by  the 
power  of  His  grace.  But  we  must  bring  them 
deliberately,  naming  the  withered  member  in 
the  presence  of  our  Lord.  We  must  bring 
them  submissively,  laying  aside  all  presump- 
tion and  pride.  We  must  bring  them  obe- 
diently, ready  and  willing  to  carry  out  the 
King's  decrees.  If  He  orders  us  to  attempt 
the  impossible,  we  must  attempt  it.  "  Stretch 
forth  thy  hand !  "  The  man  might  have  re- 
plied, "  Master,  that  is  just  what  I  cannot 
do! "  "  Stretch  forth  thy  hand,"  and  the  at- 
tempt being  made,  the  needful  power  was 
found,  and  the  man  was  made  whole.  So 
must  I  bring  my  withered  love  to  Him,  and 
if  need  be  I  must  "  stretch  it  forth  "  in  effort 
and  service.  If  He  bid  me  I  must  act  as 
though  I  have  a  healthy  love,  and  in  the  very 
effort  I  shall  find  I  have  received  it.  I  must 
bring  my  withered  hope  to  Him.  At  His 
command  I  must  stretch  it  forth.  I  must  act 
as  a  hopeful  man,  and  I  shall  find  that  the 
gracious  light  is  restored.  The  Saviour's 
power  goes  with  the  Saviour's  demand.  The 
Saviour's  power  is  received  in  human  obe- 
dience. 


XI 

THE  THORN  REMAINS 

THE  Apostle  Paul  was  afflicted  with 
some  bodily  infirmity,  some  extremely 
painful  disease  whose  symptoms  were 
marked  by  frequent  recurrence.  Many  sug- 
gestions have  been  made  as  to  the  nature  of 
the  disease.  Bishop  Lightfoot  inclines  to  the 
opinion  that  it  was  epilepsy.  Others  have 
fixed  upon  ophthalmia;  Ramsay  has  recently 
advanced  the  theory  of  malarial  fever.  It 
does  not  very  much  matter  for  our  immediate 
purpose  what  was  the  particular  form  of  the 
infirmity.  Whatever  it  was,  it  appeared  to 
cripple  the  Apostle ;  his  sacred  purpose  seemed 
to  be  hampered  and  partially  defeated.  Even 
the  healthiest  of  bodies  would  have  been  all 
too  slow  and  sluggish  for  his  burningly  pas- 
sionate soul;  but  a  damaged  body  was  an  ob- 
trusive impediment  to  his  great  crusade.  He 
prayed  about  it  as  only  Paul  could  pray;  he 
prayed  that  it  might  depart  from  him.  He 
offered  the  prayer  twice,  thrice,  and  repeat- 
edly. And  then  there  was  given  to  him  that 
mystic  revelation,  that  enlightenment  of  con- 
91 


92    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

science,  that  dawning  of  interpretation,  so 
often  given  to  the  soul  that  waits  on  God;  he 
was  given  the  wider  vision,  the  larger  under- 
standing, in  which  similar  problems  find  their 
solution.  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee, 
for  My  power  is  made  perfect  in  weakness.,, 
And  this  being  interpreted  seems  to  say,  "  Thy 
apparent  weakness  may  be  a  channel  of 
strength.  The  seemingly  ungracious  thing 
may  be  a  means  of  grace.  The  very  infirmity 
of  the  organ  may  confirm  the  authority  of  the 
message.  God  may  become  more  visible 
through  thy  frailty.  God  may  dawn  upon  the 
world  through  thy  gloom.  My  grace  is  suffi- 
cient for  thee ;  through  thy  seeming  weakness 
My  power  shall  be  perfected."  And  so  these 
were  the  results  of  the  Apostle's  prayers ;  first, 
the  thorn  remained,  the  bodily  pain  continued 
as  his  guest ;  second,  the  prayer  was  answered 
in  an  accession  of  grace  which  converted  a 
crown  of  thorns  into  a  crown  of  glory. 

So  this  seems  to  be  the  principle  of  the  in- 
terpretation given  to  the  Apostle  Paul.  The 
apparent  weakness  may  become  the  very  occa- 
sion of  power.  The  seeming  handicap  may 
redound  to  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  The  com- 
batants seem  to  be  one  man  with  a  thorn  ver- 
sus the  tremendous  resistance  of  Asia,  and 
the  supercilious  cynicism  and  indifference  of 


THE  THORN  REMAINS  93 

Athens,  Corinth,  and  Rome.  But  the  realities 
are  these :  one  man  with  a  thorn  plus  the  grace 
of  God,  and  the  very  thorn  becomes  a  medium 
of  power,  and  through  the  obtrusive  weakness 
God's  strength  is  more  perfectly  revealed. 
When  Paul  had  fully  grasped  the  significance 
of  this  enlightenment  his  impatience  was 
changed  into  quietness,  his  irritableness  into 
confidence,  and  his  complaint  into  sacred  jubi- 
lation. "  Most  gladly  therefore  will  I  rather 
glory  in  my  weaknesses,  that  the  strength  of 
Christ  may  spread  a  tabernacle  over  me."  "  I 
take  pleasure  in  weaknesses  .  .  .  for  when 
I  am  weak  then  am  I  strong." 

So  here  is  the  vivid  lesson  shining  across 
the  Apostle's  consecrated  life;  he  prayed,  and 
yet  the  thorn  remained,  but  grace  was  given 
whereby  the  very  infirmity  became  the  servant 
of  his  strength  and  a  minister  to  the  glory  of 
God. 

Now  let  us  bring  that  principle  into  our 
own  life,  and  let  us  see  its  applications  to  our 
own  conditions  and  needs.  We  too  have  our 
thorns  in  the  flesh,  things  that  seem  to  hinder 
our  work,  apparent  obstructions  to  the  prog- 
ress of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  If  these  could 
be  taken  away,  with  what  blessed  freedom  we 
could  run  in  the  way  of  God's  commandments ! 
J/Ve  pray  that  the  hindrance  might  be  taken 


94    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

away  from  us.  And  yet  it  remains,  and  the 
meaning  of  the  apparently  unanswered  prayer 
is  this,  that  God  wishes  to  give  grace  in  order 
that  these  seemingly  adverse  circumstances 
may  be  converted  into  our  slaves,  and  made 
to  minister  to  our  own  highest  interests,  to 
the  welfare  of  others,  and  to  the  glory  of  God. 
Take  the  matter  of  physical  frailty.  Per- 
haps that  is  our  trouble.  Just  the  lack  of 
lusty  robustness.  Our  reserves  of  strength 
are  very  scanty.  We  are  hampered  by  the 
bodily  clog,  and  the  interests  of  the  Kingdom 
suffer.  We  pray  for  the  restoration  of  health, 
but  the  thorn  remains.  But  the  prayer  is  not 
unanswered.  God  comes  to  us  in  an  acces- 
sion of  grace  which  converts  the  very  sword 
into  a  ploughshare,  into  an  implement  of 
moral  and  spiritual  culture.  Frances  Ridley 
Havergal  was  very  frail,  frail  as  the  most  deli- 
cate porcelain.  She  prayed  for  greater 
strength,  but  the  thorn  remained.  But  who 
will  say  that  her  prayer  was  unanswered? 
Think  of  the  tender  songs  that  were  sung 
from  her  frail  tent!  Her  very  weaknesses 
endowed  her  with  delicacies  of  intuition,  dis- 
cernments in  sacred  explorations,  sympathies 
with  the  travail  of  her  Lord,  which  have  made 
her  the  precious  guide  and  teacher  of  tens  of 
thousands  of  the  children  of  God.    Her  power 


THE  THORN  REMAINS  95 

was  made  perfect  in  weakness.  Or  take  Mrs. 
Browning.  Physically  she  was  frail  as  an 
autumn  leaf.  "  Once  I  wished  not  to  live, 
but  the  faculty  of  life  seems  to  have  sprung 
up  in  me  again  from  under  the  crushing  feet 
of  heavy  grief."  She  prayed  once,  twice, 
thrice,  and  the  thorn  remained.  But  grace 
was  given,  and  she  gave  us  "  Aurora  Leigh  " 
and  "  The  Cry  of  the  Children."  "  I  cannot 
lament  having  learned  in  suffering  what  I 
taught  in  song."  Her  husband  declared  that 
she  was  "  always  smilingly  happy  with  a  face 
like  a  girl's."  And  when  I  take  down  Mrs. 
Browning's  poems  I  think  of  her  frail  and 
wan  face,  and  those  large,  serene  eyes,  and 
the  calm  and  lofty  brow,  and  I  say  "  His 
power  was  made  perfect  in  her  weakness." 

Or  take  another  apparent  infirmity,  the  af- 
fliction we  call  nervousness.  Some  people  are 
like  a  bundle  of  exposed  nerves.  They  are 
endowed  with  exquisiteness  of  feeling  which 
makes  every  jar  a  discord,  a  catastrophe. 
They  experience  vividness  and  intensity  of 
emotion.  They  are  slim  and  sprightly,  and 
the  crack  of  the  whip  almost  excites  a  mental 
and  moral  convulsion.  They  pray  for  its  re- 
moval. They  ask  for  a  temperament  a  little 
more  numb  to  all  the  pangs  of  outrageous  for- 
tune.    But  the  thorn  remains.     The  prayer  is 


96    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

answered  in  a  better  way.  By  the  grace  of 
Christ  their  very  sensitiveness  is  made  the 
minister  of  strength  and  fruitful  service. 
God's  power  is  made  perfect  in  weakness. 
Robertson  of  Brighton  was  extremely  sensi- 
tive. He  was  easily  jarred.  His  whole  be- 
ing was  as  full  of  feeling  as  the  eye.  An  ugly 
colour  "  brought  on  nervous  irritations." 
"  A  gloomy  day  afflicted  him  like  a  misfor- 
tune." He  prayed  for  the  removal  of  the  in- 
firmity, and  the  thorn  remained.  But  his 
prayer  was  answered.  His  very  weakness 
was  made  the  vehicle  of  strength.  His  sensi- 
tiveness gave  him  his  sense  of  awe  and 
triumph  in  the  presence  of  nature.  It  gave 
him  his  almost  instinctive  sense  of  the  charac- 
ters of  men.  It  gave  him  his  superlatively 
fine  apprehension  of  the  secrets  of  the  Most 
High.  His  nervous  temperament  remained, 
but  God  gave  him  a  sufficiency  of  grace,  and 
through  his  apparent  infirmity  God's  power 
was  made  perfect. 

And  so  it  is  with  many  other  infirmities 
that  one  might  name.  It  is  true  of  tempta- 
tion. It  is  true  of  the  disposition  that  is 
haunted  by  painful  questionings.  They  may 
become  to  us  the  ministers  of  God's  holy  grace. 
If  the  thorn  were  removed  one  of  the  helpers 
of  our  health  and  progress  would  be  gone. 


THE  THORN  REMAINS  97 

The  thorn  on  the  rose-bush  is  the  purposed 
friend  and  not  the  enemy  of  the  rose.  The 
flower  is  all  the  more  surely  perfected  because 
the  thorn  remains.  And  so  it  is  with  the 
thorns  of  the  soul.  By  the  very  retention  of 
the  thorn  faith  is  nourished,  and  ordered 
power,  and  the  faculty  to  apprehend  the  glory 
of  God  when  He  is  pleased  to  reveal  it.  And 
thus  are  we  led  to  the  all-sufficiency  of  the 
grace  of  the  Father  in  the  Heaven. 


XII 

THE  SONG   OF  MOSES   AND   THE 
LAMB 

IN  the  mystical  and  mysterious  book  of 
Revelation  there  is  a  strange  and  jubilant 
song  sung  by  "  them  that  have  gotten  the 
victory  over  the  beast."  I  am  not  concerned 
to  identify  any  particular  beast  over  whom 
these  singers  had  proved  victorious.  The 
beast  may  very  well  and  justly  stand  as  typi- 
cal of  all  that  is  unspiritual,  the  general  beast- 
liness which  man  has  to  encounter  as  he  strug- 
gles towards  his  crown.  Tennyson  gives  me 
the  suggestion  I  seek  in  his  description  of  the 
four  tiers  of  symbolic  sculpture  which  adorned 
the  walls  of  Merlin's  Hall : 

On  the  lowest  beasts  were  slaying  men; 

On  the  second  men  were  slaying  beasts; 

On  the  third  were  warriors,  perfect  men, 

And  on  the  fourth  were  men  with  growing  wings. 

The  singers  in  the  Seer's  vision  had  attained 
to  this  glorious  power  of  wing;  they  had  got- 
ten the  victory  over  the  beast. 

And  what  was  the  burden  of  their  song? 
98 


MOSES  AND  THE  LAMB  99 

First  of  all  they  sang  the  eternal  righteousness 
of  God.  "  Righteous  and  true  are  Thy 
ways."  That  is  ever  the  main  theme  of 
psalmist,  prophet,  apostle,  martyr,  and  saint; 
that  is  the  ground- work  of  the  heavenly  music, 
the  very  stuff  and  substance  of  the  song.  The 
praise  of  the  blest  is  not  primarily  concerned 
with  the  tender  love  of  God  or  His  infinite 
compassion;  not  first  with  the  flowers  of  the 
earth,  but  with  earth's  enduring  frame;  not 
first  with  God's  graces,  but  with  His  grace, 
His  incorruptible  holiness.  For  what  love 
can  there  be  without  a  basis  of  truth?  And 
what  is  the  worth  of  mercy  without  the  solid- 
ity of  rectitude  ?  And  so  it  is  that  when  these 
singers  break  into  song  this  is  the  theme  of 
their  music :  "  Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the 
Lord!" 

And,  secondly,  their  music  wanders  among 
the  wonders  of  God's  progressive  providence. 
"  Great  and  marvellous  are  Thy  works ! " 
These  works  are  not  primarily  the  works  of 
nature,  but  the  works  of  grace.  The  singers 
are  contemplating  the  truth  in  its  conflict  with 
falsehood.  They  are  watching  the  wonders 
of  holiness  in  its  hallowing  ministries  among 
the  children  of  men.  They  are  recalling  the 
romance  of  God's  providence  as  they  see  it 
unrolled  through  the  generations  of  their  own 


100    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

troubled  national  history.  And  their  doxol- 
ogy  of  providence  and  grace  gathers  about 
two  names,  the  names  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb. 
In  their  songful  recital  of  providential  deliv- 
erances these  two  names  seem  to  crystallize 
and  tell  the  story.  And  what  is  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  names  ?  Surely  it  is  this :  Moses 
signifies  emancipation  from  social  bondage; 
the  Lamb  signifies  emancipation  from  spiritual 
bondage.  Moses  stands  for  deliverance  from 
wrong.  The  Lamb  stands  for  deliverance 
from  sin.  Moses  delivers  from  the  wrong 
which  man  may  suffer  from  his  brother. 
The  Lamb  delivers  from  the  wrong  which 
man  may  suffer  from  himself.  Moses  deliv- 
ers from  the  Pharaoh  outside  man.  The 
Lamb  delivers  from  the  devil  within  man. 
Moses  delivers  from  the  gall  of  oppression 
and  pain.  The  Lamb  delivers  from  the  gall 
of  guilt  and  sin.  This  is  the  song  the  singers 
sing,  the  "  Song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb " 
— Thy  marvellous  works  in  Moses  against 
all  wrong ;  Thy  marvellous  works  in  the  Lamb 
against  all  sin! 

Let  me  still  further  emphasize  the  distinc- 
tion here  made.  The  song  of  Moses  de- 
scribed a  deliverance  from  the  Egyptian  house 
of  bondage.  It  narrated  an  Exodus  from 
oppression    and    servitude.     The    deliverance 


MOSES  AND  THE  LAMB         101 

was  the  destruction  of  a  galling  yoke  imposed 
by  man  on  man.  It  was  the  overthrow  of 
tyranny.  And  that  deliverance  is  sung  as  a 
great  and  marvellous  work  of  God;  God  is 
working  through  a  human  leader  to  human 
emancipation.  And  this  deliverance  by  Moses 
is  being  continued  to  our  own  day.  In  every 
generation  there  is  some  new  Exodus  from 
servitude,  led  by  men  inspired  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God.  The  leader  himself  may  not 
be  conscious  of  his  divine  inspiration,  but  he 
is  nevertheless  the  instrument  of  God's  right 
hand.  Wherever  men  have  been  fettered  in 
physical  servitude,  wherever  minds  have  been 
imprisoned  in  the  darkness  of  ignorance, 
wherever  hearts  have  been  bruised  and  broken 
and  a  leader  has  appeared  to  set  the  captive 
free,  that  leader  was  a  Moses,  the  champion 
of  a  new  Exodus,  and  his  crusade  of  freedom 
was  inspired  of  the  Lord. 

Our  own  time  has  been  singularly  distin- 
guished by  such  emancipations.  I  know  not 
how  many  big  and  petty  tyrannies  have  been 
fought  within  the  compass  even  of  one  gen- 
eration. In  mine  and  factory,  among  women 
and  children,  on  land  and  sea,  among  the 
labourers  in  the  field,  and  among  the  sailors 
on  the  deep,  yokes  have  been  broken,  prison 
doors  have  been  opened,  oppression  has  been 


102     THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

righted,  and  captives  have  been  led  into  the 
fair  domain  of  freedom.  To  tell  the  story  of 
freedom  during  the  last  fifty  years  would  be 
to  sing  "  a  Song  of  Moses  "  worthy  to  be 
chanted  with  the  song  of  Revelation  sung  by 
the  victors  at  the  crystal  sea. 

There  are  many  more  bondages  yet  to  be 
broken;  many  more  tyrants  yet  to  be  de- 
throned. Wrongs  still  stalk  abroad  un- 
abashed and  unashamed.  There  is  many  a 
chivalrous  exodus  yet  to  be  won.  And  the 
heavenly  allies  are  on  the  side  of  those  who 
seek  to  do  the  work.  The  mystic  horses  and 
chariots  are  on  the  hill.  The  mystic  minis- 
ters, with  their  golden  censers  and  their 
golden  vials,  are  still  in  active  service.  We 
are  fellow-workers  with  the  spirits  of  good 
men  made  perfect,  and  all  heaven  is  enlisted 
on  the  side  of  those  who  seek  "  to  set  at  liberty 
them  that  are  oppressed." 

But  when  the  "  Song  of  Moses  "  has  been 
sung,  what  then?  Lead  your  bondslaves  out 
of  Egypt.  When  you  have  lifted  the  tyranny, 
what  about  those  who  have  been  set  free? 
When  you  have  given  the  seaman  the  protec- 
tion of  the  load-line  he  may  still  reel  about 
the  port.  When  you  have  lifted  the  tyranny 
from  the  factory  operative  he  may  delight  to 
be  a  beast.     When  you  have  given  the  la- 


MOSES  AND  THE  LAMB         103 

bourer  a  vote  you  have  not  given  him  either  a 
conscience  or  a  will.  The  fact  of  the  matter 
is,  when  we  have  lifted  a  man  out  of  Egypt 
we  may  yet  leave  him  in  hell.  And  let  it  be 
remembered  that  a  man  may  remain  in  the 
bondage  of  Egypt,  and  yet  be  in  heaven. 
There  is  many  a  servant  living  to-day  in  se- 
vere and  unattractive  social  servitude  who  is 
yet  in  fellowship  with  a  heaven  their  master 
or  mistress  has  never  known.  Slaves  sang 
their  songs  in  the  early  Christian  Church 
while  they  were  still  in  their  servitude,  and  we 
catch  snatches  of  the  music  to-day.  Yes,  all 
that  is  true;  the  prison-house  has  been  bright 
with  the  splendours  of  heaven.  And  this,  too, 
I  say,  is  true;  that  a  man  may  gain  a  certain 
liberty  and  yet  may  enter  into  a  deeper  servi- 
tude. A  man  may  be  redeemed  from  Egypt 
and  may  become  a  more  ignoble  slave.  The 
shackles  may  have  been  struck  from  his  limbs 
but  they  are  still  on  his  soul.  One  tyrant  is 
gone,  but  the  greater  tyrant  remains.  What, 
then,  do  we  need?  Moses  can  destroy  the 
lesser  tyranny,  but  he  cannot  touch  the  greater. 
We  need  another  and  a  mightier  exodus;  we 
need  another  and  a  mightier  Moses.  The  one 
can  work  the  wonders  of  the  Red  Sea  and 
smite  and  cleave  the  intercepting  flood;  we 
need  one  who  can  command  and  subdue  the 


104    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

waters  of  passion  and  make  its  turbid  waters 
clear  and  clean  as  the  crystal  sea.  And  so  to 
the  "  Song  of  Moses  "  it  is  imperative  that  we 
add  the  "  Song  of  the  Lamb."  We  shall  find 
at  Calvary  what  can  never  be  found  at  the 
Red  Sea. 

"  Babylon  is  fallen."  So  do  I  hear  again 
and  again  resounding  in  the  Book  of  Revela- 
tion. It  is  the  emancipating  word  of  Moses, 
and  we  needs  must  sing  and  shout  when  the 
tyrant  is  vanquished,  "  The  slave  trade  is 
fallen!"  It  is  the  emancipating  word  of 
Moses,  and  we  needs  must  sing  when  the  slave 
is  free.  But  what  has  happened  when  we 
sing  the  "  Song  of  the  Lamb  "  ?  Another  ex- 
odus has  happened  with  deeper  experiences, 
leading  into  a  far  more  glorious  freedom.  "  If 
the  Son,  therefore,  shall  make  you  free  ye 
shall  be  free  indeed."  And  how  are  His  freed 
ones  described  ?  They  are  "  clothed  in  white 
robes  " ;  they  have  attained  to  purified  habits 
and  dispositions.  They  have  "  palms  in  their 
hands,"  the  symbol  of  sovereignty,  the  emblem 
of  a  strong  and  graceful  self -conquest  and 
self-control.  And  they  are  singing;  the  dis- 
cords of  life  have  been  subdued  to  sweetest 
harmony.  Such  is  the  free  one  in  the  Lord. 
Moses  can  never  make  him;  he  is  the  creation 
of  the  Lamb. 


MOSES  AND  THE  LAMB         105 

There  is  a  very  modern  significance  in  all 
this.  It  is  imperative  that  we  remember  that 
Moses  can  never  do  the  work  of  the  Lamb. 
We  are  living  in  a  day  when  we  are  very  much 
tempted  to  believe  he  can.  The  "  Song  of 
Moses  "  is  prone  to  make  us  forget  the  "  Song 
of  the  Lamb."  We  are  busy,  and  wisely  busy, 
legislating,  emancipating,  educating,  co-oper- 
ating. It  is  all  good,  and  I  will  sing  the  song 
of  thanksgiving,  but  it  will  never  do.  The 
Moses-ministry  is  pathetically  insufficient.  It 
may  give  us  a  little  more  ease,  it  will  never 
give  us  a  wealthy  peace.  It  may  make  us 
more  comfortable;  it  will  never  make  us  in- 
herently good.  "  We  are  complete  in  Him," 
in  Him  alone,  and  in  Him  only,  u  the  Lamb 
slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 


XIII 
WAVE  AND   RIVER 

I  AM  writing  these  words  in  sight  of  a 
fine,  fresh  sea.  A  strong  south-westerly 
breeze  is  blowing,  and  huge  waves  are 
moving  swiftly  to  their  culmination,  and 
breaking  majestically  on  the  shore.  A  little 
way  up  the  coast  a  broad  river,  full  and  brim- 
ming, fed  by  a  hundred  tributaries  from  the 
rain-drenched  hills,  is  leisurely  emptying  its 
voluminous  flood  into  the  advancing  sea. 
And  as  my  eyes  pass  from  the  sea  to  the  river, 
and  again  from  the  river  to  the  sea,  I  am  re- 
minded of  two  very  powerful  figures,  used  by 
the  greatest  of  the  Old  Testament  prophets, 
and  which  may  have  had  their  birth  in  condi- 
tions similar  to  those  which  I  am  gazing  upon 
to-day.  "  O,  that  thou  hadst  hearkened  to 
My  commandments;  then  had  thy  peace  been 
like  a  river,  and  thy  righteousness  like  the 
waves  of  the  sea."  The  figures  are  strikingly 
original  and  suggestive,  and  I  think  that  they 
enshrine  conceptions  of  truth  which  afford 
healthy  correctives  to  some  soft  and  effemi- 
nate thinking  of  our  own  time. 
106 


WAVE  AND  RIVER  107 

"  Then  had  thy  peace  been  like  a  river! " 
That  itself  is  a  most  unusual  sphere  in  which 
to  find  a  symbol  of  peace.  Most  people,  when 
they  want  a  symbol  of  peace,  would  seek  it  in 
some  secluded  mountain-tarn,  nestling  quiet 
and  unrippled  far  away  from  beaten  roads, 
and  where  even  the  cry  of  a  vagrant  bird  is 
only  rarely  heard.  It  is  by  these  "  still  wa- 
ters," and  in  these  deep  silences,  that  we 
should  call  to  mind  the  gift  of  peace.  Other 
people  are  impressed  with  the  "  peacefulness  " 
of  the  chamber  of  death.  When  they  see  the 
body  lying  perfectly  still,  and  when  every 
sound  is  muffled,  everybody  speaking  in  whis- 
pers, and  going  about  on  tiptoe,  they  feel 
constrained  to  say,  "  How  peaceful !  " 

How  different  is  the  prophet's  choice  of 
figure!  Not  a  stagnant  tarn,  not  a  lifeless 
body,  but  a  river!  The  erroneous  conception 
gathers  about  a  particular  sort  of  stillness;  the 
true  conception  gathers  about  a  particular 
quality  of  movement.  Peace  is  not  motion- 
less quietness,  but  quiet  motion.  Peace  has 
its  appropriate  figure  in  the  brimming  river, 
deeply  quiet  because  of  its  depth.  Peace  is 
liquid  motion,  frictionless  movement!  That 
is  the  phrase  which  expresses  my  present 
thought.  Perfect  peace  is  found  in  human 
life  when  that  life  moves  in  God's  life  without 


108    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

babble,  or  fret,  or  friction.  It  is  not  so  much 
found  in  the  absence  of  sound  as  in  the  ab- 
sence of  discord.  It  is  musical  movement,  it 
is  harmony. 

Our  Master's  conception  of  peace  is  given 
in  His  oft-repeated  words,  "  I  and  My  Father 
are  one."  When  one  life  flows  into  another 
life  with  perfect  commingling — will  with  will, 
thought  with  thought,  desire  with  desire,  then 
we  have  the  basal  secret  of  peace.  And  when 
that  perfect  commingling  is  between  the  hu- 
man heart  and  God,  we  have  learned  the  secret 
of  perfect  peace.  That  was  Jesus's  peace, 
and  this  is  Jesus's  promise,  "  My  peace  I  give 
unto  you." 

"And  thy  righteousness  like  the  waves  of 
the  sea!'  Well,  let  me  go  nearer  the  sea.  I 
leave  the  dry  upper  beach,  and  go  down  to 
the  water's  edge.  There  in  the  distance  a  fine 
wave  is  forming,  gathering  volume  and  im- 
petus as  it  rolls.  Let  me  step  forward,  con- 
front it,  and  check  its  advance!  The  wave 
laughs  at  the  antagonism,  and  races  shoreward 
with  powerful  and  jubilant  flood.  And  my 
righteousness  is  purposed  to  be  like  that! 
"  Thy  righteousness  like  the  waves  of  the  sea." 
But  in  the  lives  of  the  majority  of  us,  even  of 
those  who  profess  to  know  the  Lord,  there  is 
nothing   characteristic   of    a   glorious   wave. 


WAVE  AND  RIVER  109 

Our  righteousness  is  more  like  some  trem- 
bling rivulet,  uncertainly  threading  its  way  in 
time  of  drought.  Any  small  antagonism  can 
check  it,  and  delay  it,  and  divert  it.  We  tim- 
idly shrink  behind  the  impediment;  we  do  not 
clear  it  at  a  leap !  The  truth  is,  the  wave-force 
is  pathetically  lacking  in  many  Christian  lives. 
There  is  nothing  strong  and  positive;  there  is 
no  vigorous  trend  because  there  is  no  definite 
end.  Their  purposes  meander  along,  and  any 
obstacle  can  hinder  them,  and  any  hostile  foot 
can  turn  them  aside. 

If  our  life  is  to  find  a  fitting  symbol  in  the 
waves  of  the  sea,  then  it  is  to  be  distinguished 
by  a  commanding  force  of  character.  It  will 
be  grandly  impressive,  and  will  be  known  by 
its  "  go."  Surely,  this  must  be  something  of 
the  meaning  of  Paul's  inspiring  words,  "  we 
have  not  received  again  the  spirit  of  fear 
.  .  .  but  of  power."  Ours  is  not  to  be  a 
spirit  of  fear,  of  trembling,  like  the  uncertain 
surf,  "  carried  with  the  wind  and  tossed " 
about  the  shore.  Ours  is  to  be  a  spirit  of 
power,  moving  in  noble  impressiveness,  and 
with  the  invincible  majesty  of  a  magnificent 
wave.  Again  and  again  our  Lord  sets  before 
His  disciples  the  strong  ideal  of  a  character 
which  "  tells,"  which  is  positive  and  bracing. 
He  seemed  to  be  afraid  of  their  discipleship 


110    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

weakening  down  into  an  anaemic  sentimen- 
tality, a  forceless  effeminacy  which  would 
never  arrest  the  world,  or  take  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  by  storm.  He  did  not  wish  His 
disciples  to  be  only  as  a  pleasant  perfume ;  He 
wished  them  to  be  more  like  that  strong  breeze 
which  is  even  now  blowing  upon  me  from  the 
southwest,  pervaded  with  the  pungent  smack 
of  the  salt  sea!  "Ye  are  the  salt  of  the 
earth."  I  think  it  is  the  same  element  of  im- 
pressiveness  which  is  suggested  in  the  figure 
of  the  advancing  wave.  And  when  this 
forceful,  impressive  element  is  wanting,  when 
this  energetic  spirit  is  absent,  then  the  indi- 
vidual Christian,  or  that  fellowship  of  Chris- 
tians which  we  call  the  Church,  becomes  as 
"  salt  that  has  lost  its  savour,"  a  poor,  savour- 
less presence,  and  the  world  will  pay  no  heed, 
or  treat  it  as  something  to  be  despised  and 
"  trodden  under  foot  of  men."  There  were 
some  in  the  Corinthian  Church  who  had  be- 
come thus  enervated  and  forceless,  and  the 
Apostle  seeks  to  stir  them  up  into  a  more  vig- 
orous life.  "  Some  are  sickly,  and  not  a  few 
sleep !  "  How  far  was  this  from  the  forcef ul- 
ness  of  the  triumphant  wave!  It  was  more 
significant  of  the  stagnant  pool,  with  a 
noisome  corruption  mantling  its  idle  face. 
There  are  many  men  who,  on  the  business 


WAVE  AND  RIVER  111 

side  of  their  life,  have  all  the  strong  impetu- 
osity of  a  wave  but  on  the  distinctively  moral 
and  religious  side  their  will  beats  as  feebly  as 
a  forceless  pulse.  They  flaunt  a  religious 
profession,  but  they  have  no  religious  "  life." 
These  constitute  the  very  bane  of  the  King- 
dom, for  they  are  the  unimpressive  profes- 
sionals who  make  the  Christian  religion  unat- 
tractive and  repellent.  But  when  our  right- 
eousness becomes  like  a  wave,  its  very  power 
will  hold  the  world  in  rich  and  fertile  wonder. 


XIV 
THE   GUIDING   HAND 

THERE  is  a  familiar  phrase  which  is 
twice  repeated  in  the  twenty-third 
Psalm:  "He  leadeth  me,"  but  the 
two  usages  have  very  different  surroundings. 
In  the  first  the  surroundings  are  pastoral,  a 
deep  restfulness  is  in  the  air,  and  all  things 
are  significant  of  relaxation  and  repose.  "  He 
leadeth  me  beside  waters  of  rest."  It  is  like 
walking  on  the  banks  of  a  river  on  some  serene 
Saturday  night,  when  the  work  of  the  week  is 
over,  and  the  very  beasts  of  the  field  seem  to 
have  begun  their  Sabbath  rest.  In  the  sec- 
ond usage  the  surroundings  are  altogether 
changed.  Rest  becomes  action;  relaxation 
becomes  strenuousness.  We  leave  the  "  wa- 
ters of  rest "  for  the  exposed  and  storm- 
swept  uplands.  We  turn  to  the  frowning 
slopes,  with  their  terrors  of  wild  beasts  and 
tempests.  Life  becomes  militant.  "  He  lead- 
eth me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness."  It  is 
like  leaving  the  sweet  and  fragrant  vineyards 
of  the  lower  Alpine  slopes  for  the  bare  and 
craggy  heights,  and  the  dubious  and  treacher- 
112 


THE  GUIDING  HAND  113 

cms  ways  of  the  snow.  But  the  guide  who 
leads  through  the  vineyard  leads  also  through 
the  snows;  and  it  is  the  same  God  who  leads 
by  the  "  waters  of  rest,"  who  also  leads  into 
exacting  and  exhausting  "  ways  of  righteous- 
ness." The  Lord  of  the  restful  valley  is  also 
King  of  the  flood  and  Sovereign  of  the  terrible 
heights. 

And  this  brings  me  to  the  theme  of  the 
present  meditation ;  the  Divine  leadership,  the 
grace  of  the  guiding  hand.  There  is  surely 
nothing  remote  or  obscure  in  the  theme.  It  is 
relevant  and  immediate  to  everybody.  We 
differ  in  many  things  and  in  many  ways;  we 
differ  in  age  and  in  calling,  in  physical  fitness 
and  in  mental  equipment;  we  differ  in  knowl- 
edge and  accomplishments;  we  are  greatly 
different  in  temperament,  and  therefore  in  the 
character  of  our  daily  strife.  But  in  one 
thing  we  are  all  alike — we  are  pilgrims  trav- 
elling between  life  and  death,  on  an  unknown 
road,  not  knowing  how  or  when  the  road  may 
turn;  not  knowing  how  or  when  it  may  end; 
and  we  are  in  urgent  need  of  a  Greatheart 
who  is  acquainted  with  every  step  of  the  way. 
We  are  all  in  need  of  a  leader  who  will  be  our 
guide  by  the  "  waters  of  rest,"  and  also  in  the 
perilous  ways  of  the  heights. 

Now  how  does  the  Lord  lead  us?    I  want 


114    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

to  find  the  answer  in  the  word  and  life  of  the 
Scriptures.  And  when  I  turn  to  the  Scrip- 
tures I  find  that  the  means  and  methods  of 
Divine  leadership  are  many,  that  the  Great 
Leader  is  like  a  wise  human  leader,  and  He 
adapts  His  ministries  to  the  nature  of  the 
child  and  the  character  of  the  immediate  need. 
I  can  only  mention  two  or  three  of  these  va- 
ried methods  of  leadership  as  I  find  them  in 
the  Word  of  God. 

And  here  is  the  first:  "And  the  Lord 
spake  thus  to  me  with  a  strong  hand"  It  is 
the  speech  of  a  young  prophet,  and  it  describes 
a  leading  of  God.  Let  us  apprehend  the  fig- 
ure. The  counsel  of  the  Lord  has  come  to 
Isaiah  like  a  strong  hand,  as  something  he 
could  not  escape.  The  intuition  laid  hold 
upon  him  like  an  arrest.  What  was  the  na- 
ture of  the  counsel?  He  was  called  upon  by 
the  Lord  to  separate  himself  from  his  nation 
by  a  solemn  act  of  detachment.  He  was  com- 
manded to  confront  his  people,  to  oppose 
them,  to  leave  the  majority  and  stand  alone. 
He  was  bidden  to  prophesy  the  unpleasant  and 
even  to  predict  defeat.  We  know  how  such 
men  are  regarded — they  are  denounced  as  un- 
patriotic, as  devoid  of  national  feeling  and 
fraternal  ambition.  The  young  prophet 
shrinks  from  the  task;  he  is  tempted  to  silence 


THE  GUIDING  HAND  115 

and  retirement;  he  meditates  retreat;  but  the 
Word  of  the  Lord  came  to  him  "  with  a  strong 
hand."  The  imperative  gave  him  no  free- 
dom; heaven  laid  hold  on  him  with  holy  vio- 
lence; the  invisible  gripped  his  conscience  as 
a  man's  arm  might  be  gripped,  until  it  ached 
in  the  grasp. 

Now  this  is  one  method  of  leading — a  grip 
like  that  of  a  powerful  constable.  This  was 
the  kind  of  leading  that  came  to  Saul  as  he 
journeyed  to  Damascus.  It  was  the  kind  of 
violent  arrest  that  laid  hold  of  John  Bunyan 
as  he  played  on  Elstow-green.  Sometimes 
the  violent  leading  takes  the  shape  of  a  star- 
tling ministry  of  disappointment  or  affliction. 
Sometimes  the  Lord  lays  hold  of  us  with  the 
cold,  stony  grip  of  fear,  and  we  are  moved 
in  the  way  of  life  by  the  terror  of  impending 
calamity.  Yes,  the  holy  Lord  sometimes 
arises  and  "shaketh  terribly  the  earth."  He 
grips  and  He  shakes;  but  the  ministry  is  gov- 
erned by  infinite  mercy  and  love.  "  By  ter- 
rible things  in  righteousness  dost  Thou  answer 
us,  O  God  of  our  salvation." 

And  here  is  a  second  method  of  leading: 
"I  will  guide  thee  with  Mine  eye"  How 
startling  the  change !  We  pass  from  the  grip 
of  the  hand  to  the  glance  of  an  eye,  from  a 
grip  as  severe  as  a  vise  to  a  touch  as  gentle  as 


116    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

light.  We  pass  from  a  nipping  frost  to  a 
soft  and  cheering  sunbeam.  I  find  the  word 
in  the  thirty-second  Psalm,  and  the  Psalm 
itself  has  provided  me  with  the  figure  of  vio- 
lent contrast.  "  Be  ye  not  as  the  horse  or  the 
mule."  The  mule  is  headlong  and  head- 
strong, and  he  is  to  be  guided  by  the  "  strong 
hand."  But  the  Lord  would  guide  us  by  His 
eye.  How  exceedingly  delicate  is  the  guid- 
ance of  a  look!  What  tender  intercourse  can 
pass  through  the  eyes !  There  is  a  whole  lan- 
guage in  their  silent  communion.  But  let  it 
be  marked  that  this  eye-guidance  implies  very 
intimate  fellowship.  Eye-speech  is  the  speech 
of  lovers.  We  may  be  guided  by  a  "  strong 
hand,"  even  when  we  are  heedless  of  God;  we 
can  only  be  guided  by  His  eye  when  we  are 
gazing  on  God. 

Let  me  give  two  examples  of  lovers  who 
were  guided  by  the  eye.  And  let  this  be  the 
first :  "  They  looked  unto  Him  and  were  light- 
ened." That  is  guidance  by  a  look.  Whilst 
they  worshipped  they  received  the  light. 
Their  minds  were  illumined  while  they  gazed. 
"  They  caught  the  ways  of  God,"  and  they  had 
a  certain  radiance  of  spirit  which  assured 
them  that  they  had  found  the  King's  will. 
We  cannot  say  much  about  the  delicate  expe- 
rience through  the  clumsy  medium  of  words. 


THE  GUIDING  HAND  117 

There  are  some  communions  for  which  ordi- 
nary language  is  altogether  insufficient.  Who 
can  explain  the  message  that  passed  between 
souls  in  love  with  one  another;  and  who  can 
describe  the  gentle  communion  of  souls  in  love 
with  God? 

But  here  is  another  instance  of  this  delicate 
guidance  of  the  eye :  ¥  Jesus  turned  and 
looked  upon  Peter."  That,  too,  was  a  look 
from  Lover  to  lover.  I  know  that  one  of 
the  lovers  had  failed,  but  his  love  was  not 
quenched.  He  had  failed  at  the  test,  but  the 
love  was  still  burning.  And  Jesus  turned,  and 
with  a  look  of  poignant  anguish  He  led  His 
disloyal  disciple  into  tears,  and  penitence,  and 
reconciliation,  and  humble  communion,  and 
liberty.  Peter  was  guided  by  the  eye  of  his 
Lord. 

Let  me  give  one  further  instance  of  the 
leadings  of  God,  and  this  time  from  the  expe- 
rience of  the  Apostle  Paul:  "After  they 
were  come  to  Mysia  they  assayed  to  go  into 
Bithynia,  but  the  Spirit  suffered  them  not." 
And  what  kind  of  leading  was  this?  It  was 
leading  by  impediment.  It  was  guidance  by 
prohibition.  It  was  the  ministry  of  the  closed 
door.  There  came  to  the  Apostle  what  the 
Friends  would  describe  as  a  "  stop  in  the 
mind."     His  thought  was  resisted  and  had  no 


118    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

liberty.  He  felt  that  his  purpose  was  secretly 
opposed  by  an  invincible  barrier.  In  certain 
directions  he  had  no  sense  of  spiritual  free- 
dom, and  therefore  he  regarded  that  way  as 
blocked.  "  The  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  in 
the  way  for  an  adversary.',  I  think  it  is  very 
needful  to  emphasize  this.  God  sometimes 
leads  us  by  negations.  The  closed  door  is  the 
indication  of  His  will.  We  assay  to  go,  but 
the  Spirit  suffers  us  not. 

But  whatever  form  the  Divine  leading  may 
take,  it  is  not  always  clear  and  immediate. 
Our  great  Leader  sometimes  keeps  us  waiting 
before  we  know  His  will.  It  is  often  very 
difficult  to  find  out  what  His  will  really  is. 
Would  it  be  well  for  it  to  be  otherwise? 
Would  it  be  best  for  His  will  to  be  known  im- 
mediately, and  without  the  faintest  shadow  of 
doubt?  Is  there  no  kindly  purpose  in  ob- 
scurity? Has  mystery  no  place  in  the  cur- 
riculum of  life's  school  ?  Is  there  no  gracious 
ministry  in  delay?  If  we  always  and  every- 
where enjoyed  perfect  and  immediate  lucidity 
we  should  abide  in  the  condition  of  babes. 
We  gain  immense  wealth  from  the  discipline 
of  uncertainty.  Uncertainty  impels  us  to  ex- 
ercise our  sight.  We  critically  observe  the 
issues.  We  estimate  possibilities.  We  weigh 
scruples.     If  the  scales  of  guidance  always 


THE  GUIDING  HAND  119 

went  down  with  a  bang  it  might  make  it  easy, 
but  it  would  never  make  us  strong.  The 
scales  of  guidance  often  turn  with  a  hair,  and 
part  of  life's  discipline  consists  in  watching 
the  scales  to  see  how  they  turn.  The  conse- 
quence is  that  when  we  know  God's  will  we 
have  also  strengthened  our  sight.  We  have 
refined  our  powers  of  discernment  in  the  act  of 
making  the  discovery.  And  as  we  gain  from 
the  discipline  of  watching  we  also  gain  from 
the  discipline  of  waiting.  We  gain  self-con- 
trol and  patience  and  the  noble  refinements  of 
hope.  And  thus  we  see  that  obscurity  and 
delay  do  not  imply  the  Divine  absence  or  in- 
difference. The  Divine  Leader  is  at  work, 
and  His  gracious  purpose  is  active  even  in  the 
apparent  inaction. 


XV 
THE  MIDNIGHT   PRESSURE 

THERE  is  something  very  weird  and 
haunting  about  the  midnight.  It  is 
one  thing  to  be  called  out  to  visit  the 
sick  at  noontide,  but  there  is  something  awful 
when  the  call  comes  at  the  midnight.  A  tele- 
gram at  the  noon  may  be  something  or  noth- 
ing, but  a  telegram  in  the  stillness  of  the  mid- 
night is  startling.  And  so  we  use  the  mid- 
night as  the  symbol  of  our  deepest  and  most 
desolate  need.  The  majority  of  us  have  had 
experience  of  the  season.  The  lights  have 
gone  out,  and  the  soft,  genial  breeze  has 
changed  into  a  nipping  night  wind,  and  there 
is  no  companionable  sound  in  the  streets.  We 
feel  lonely  and  desolate  and  cold.  And  yet 
God's  saints  have  had  some  wonderful  hap- 
penings in  the  midnight.  "  Which  of  you 
shall  have  a  friend  and  shall  go  unto  him  at 
midnight  ? "  And  countless  numbers  have 
turned  to  the  heavenly  Friend,  and  they  have 
found  wonderful  light  and  provision  in  His 
presence.  The  Word  of  the  Lord  is  full  of 
song  rising  from  the  hearts  of  those  whose 

120 


THE  MIDNIGHT  PRESSURE      121 

night  time  has  been  changed  into  morning 
through  their  communion  with  the  heavenly 
Friend.  Here  is  a  little  chorus  of  praises: 
"  Thou  hast  visited  me  in  the  night " ;  "  In 
the  night  His  song  shall  be  with  me  " ;  "  At 
midnight  I  will  arise  and  give  thanks  " ;  "  At 
midnight  Paul  and  Silas  prayed  and  sang 
praises."  All  these  pilgrims  of  the  night  felt 
the  pressure  of  the  cold  loneliness  and  they 
were  driven  to  the  heavenly  Refuge  and  found 
the  grace  of  God. 

But  the  very  parable  from  which  I  have 
taken  this  sentence  about  the  visit  of  the 
friend  in  the  midnight  seems  to  suggest  that 
God  may  delay  His  bounty  and  that  importu- 
nity is  needed  if  we  are  to  obtain  His  aid. 
Looked  at  superficially  it  would  seem  that  the 
all-comfortable  and  self -engrossed  friend  was 
unwilling  to  arise  from  bed  and  give  the  loaves 
that  were  asked  by  the  shameless  knocker  at 
the  door.  But  the  teaching  is  rather  this:  if 
continued  knocking  can  overcome  the  surliness 
of  a  well-bedded  friend,  what  will  it  accom- 
plish when  the  Friend  is  the  ever-ready,  all- 
compassionate,  and  sleepless  Lord?  If  con- 
tinued prayer  can  overcome  reluctance,  how 
will  it  fare  when  it  deals  with  goodwill?  It 
is  one  of  the  "  how  much  more  "  arguments 
of  Jesus  Christ.     If  your  friend,  snugly  en- 


122    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

sconced  in  his  bed,  and  unwilling  to  go  out  in 
the  cold  night,  and  angry  at  being  disturbed, 
will  at  length  respond  to  your  importunate 
knocking,  "  how  much  more  shall  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven !  "  And,  therefore,  we  are 
bidden  to  ask  and  to  go  on  asking,  to  knock 
and  to  go  on  knocking,  and  the  desires  of  our 
heart  shall  be  satisfied. 

Why  should  there  be  any  delay  at  all  ?  Why 
does  not  God  answer  the  first  knock?  First 
of  all,  let  us  again  repeat  the  good  news  that 
our  God  is  never  imprisoned  in  sleepy  indif- 
ference. He  is  awake  and  willing  before  we 
knock  at  all.  Why,  then,  should  we  have  to 
knock  again?  What  is  He  doing?  He  is 
preparing  the  answer.  There  are  some  things 
we  ask  for  that  have  to  be  grown.  They 
cannot  be  given  to  us  like  coins  or  manufac- 
tured goods!  They  could  only  be  given  as 
fruits  and  they  have  to  be  grown  in  our  souls. 
We  ask  for  a  fruit  and  the  Lord  immediately 
answers  our  prayer  by  planting  a  seed.  We 
may  think  the  prayer  is  unanswered,  while  all 
the  time  the  answer  is  already  working  in  our 
life  towards  consummation.  We  ask  for  cer- 
tain blooms  of  finished  character.  The  Lord 
does  not  attach  them  to  our  lives  as  we  might 
tie  fruit  to  a  sickly  tree.  He  begins  at  once 
to  enrich  the  character  that  creates  the  blooms. 


THE  MIDNIGHT  PRESSURE      123 

For  instance,  I  ask  for  joy.  I  expect  to  re- 
ceive an  immediate  ecstasy.  I  ask  the  second 
time,  but  it  does  not  come.  My  heart  is  sad 
in  the  midnight  and  there  is  no  speedy  trans- 
formation. But  that  does  not  mean  that  my 
Friend  is  indifferent  or  indolent.  I  ask  for 
joy  and  He  begins  to  make  me  a  little  purer 
and  more  refined.  He  works  upon  the 
strings  of  my  soul  and  endows  them  with 
more  sensitiveness,  and  by  the  preparation  of 
the  instrument  He  will  prepare  me  for  the  final 
music  and  song.  I  ask  for  perfect  peace.  It 
does  not  come  with  the  first  asking,  but  the 
answer  begins  as  soon  as  I  knock  at  the  door. 
There  are  broken  cogs  in  the  life  that  have  to 
be  repaired.  There  is  much  gravel  of  sin  that 
has  to  be  removed.  And  if  the  Lord  is  repair- 
ing some  cog  or  cleaning  some  wheel,  is  not 
this  the  answer  which  will  bring  the  peace  for 
which  I  pray?  It  may  be  said  that  in  order 
to  give  peace  He  may  have  to  give  pain.  The 
resetting  of  a  joint  may  mean  the  temporary 
increase  of  my  suffering,  but  God  is  directing 
the  process  which  will  issue  in  blessing.  But 
why  keep  on  knocking,  knocking;  why  keep 
on  praying,  praying?  Why  be  importunate? 
Because  importunity  provides  the  atmosphere 
in  which  implanted  seeds  become  matured. 
In  prayer  I  receive  the  seed.     By  prayer  I 


124.     THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

shall  receive  the  fruit.     Men  ought  always  to 
pray,  and  the  seeds  will  not  faint. 

One  thing  must  be  added.  Sometimes  the 
Lord's  answer  has  really  come,  but  we  have 
not  prayed  for  eyes  to  see  it.  It  has  not  come 
quite  in  the  dress  we  expected,  and,  therefore, 
we  did  not  know  it.  A  friend  was  appointed 
to  meet  me  at  a  railway  station.  He  looked 
for  a  man  in  clerical  attire,  and  we  wandered 
about  little  knowing  that  we  were  brushing 
shoulders  with  each  other  all  the  time.  He 
thought  I  had  not  arrived,  but  I  was  there  in 
another  dress.  And,  therefore,  it  is  well  to 
look  at  our  ordinary  circumstances  when  they 
do  not  come  to  us  in  familiar  and  expected 
guise.  "  He  was  in  the  world  and  the  world 
knew  Him  not."  God  sometimes  appears  in 
these  unexpected  ways,  but  they  are  the  very 
answers  to  our  prayers.  The  Apostle  Paul 
was  cast  down  in  Macedonia.  "  Without  were 
fightings,  within  were  fears."  And  the  com- 
fort came  in  a  strange  way.  It  was  not  given 
in  some  immediate  lighting  of  the  fires  of 
joy,  by  some  mysterious  gift  in  his  secret  soul. 
"  The  Lord  comforted  me  by  the  coming  of 
Titus."  That  is  where  Paul  found  the  an- 
swer to  his  prayers.  A  fellow-man  came  to 
share  his  burden  and  to  enhance  his  joys. 


XVI 
CAPITAL  AND    INTEREST 

LIFE  is  very  commonly  regarded  from 
.  the  standpoint  of  an  investment  of 
capital  which  yields  a  certain  amount 
of  interest.  It  was  conceived  in  this  figure 
by  the  Lord  Jesus  Himself.  "  Trade  ye  here- 
with till  I  come.,,  And  what  is  our  capital? 
What  capital  did  the  Master  Himself  invest  in 
the  affairs  of  men?  He  had  a  capital  of 
thought,  and  He  invested  it  in  thought  fulness. 
He  had  a  capital  of  emotion,  and  He  invested 
it  in  widest  sympathy.  He  had  a  capital  of 
conscience  and  ideal,  and  He  invested  them  in 
the  exploration  and  correction  of  crookedness. 
And  He  had  a  capital  of  will,  and  He  always 
invested  its  power  in  the  ministry  of  rectitude 
and  truth.  This  was  the  sort  of  capital  with 
which  Jesus  traded,  and  this  is  the  kind  of 
capital  with  which  we  are  to  trade  amid  the 
new  opportunities  of  our  own  life. 

Now,  in  these  realms  interest  is  in  propor- 
tion to  the  amount  of  capital  we  invest. 
Small  investment  \ all  yield  but  small  returns; 
if  the  investment  be  increased  the  interest  will 

125 


126    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

be  correspondingly  enlarged.  Carelessness  in 
the  employment  of  life's  capital  results  in 
dwindling  and  exhausted  returns.  This 
teaching  applies  to  all  kinds  of  interest,  even 
that  interest  which  we  call  our  interest  in 
things,  our  interest  in  persons,  in  causes,  in 
common  affairs.  The  interest  we  get  from 
them  depends  upon  the  capital  we  put  into 
them.  And  here  I  come  face  to  face  with  a 
common  statement  which  I  desire  to  challenge, 
and  which,  indeed,  is  the  theme  of  this  medita- 
tion. Here  is  a  man  speaking  about  some- 
thing or  other,  maybe  a  society,  or  a  cause, 
or  an  institution,  and  he  says,  "  I  began  to 
lose  interest  in  it,  and  so  I  gave  it  up."  Now 
I  think  the  contrary  is  more  likely  to  have 
been  the  truth.  A  close  investigation  will 
rather  reveal  that  the  man  had  begun  to  give 
it  up  and  then  lost  interest  in  it.  There  was 
first  an  interference  with  the  capital,  and  then 
the  interest  suffered.  There  was  a  relaxing 
in  the  trade,  followed  by  impaired  returns. 
This  may  appear  to  be  a  subtle,  but  it  is 
a  very  vital  distinction.  The  condition  of 
finding  interest  in  anything  is  the  persistent 
and  diligent  application  of  strength.  We  be- 
gin to  give  a  thing  up,  and  then  we  lose  our 
interest  in  it. 
We  may  find  the  application  of  the  principle 


CAPITAL  AND  INTEREST        in 

in  the  aesthetic  realm.  What  is  the  condition 
of  retaining  a  keen  interest  in  music?  It  is 
the  maintenance  of  an  investment  of  capital. 
If  we  add  to  capital  we  assuredly  add  to  the 
interest.  The  devotion  of  more  time,  more 
thought,  more  eager  listening,  and  more  dili- 
gent persistence,  will  result  in  an  enriched  and 
enlarged  commerce,  and  the  genius  of  music 
will  pour  her  treasures  into  our  souls. 
Charles  Darwin  ceased  to  invest  in  this  realm ; 
he  gave  no  thought  nor  attention  to  music, 
and  so  he  lost  the  power  of  appreciation. 

It  is  even  so  in  the  realm  of  art.  The  men 
who  get  most  out  of  it  are  the  men  who  put 
most  into  it.  When  John  Ruskin  began  to 
examine  the  papers  of  Turner,  he  found  at 
least  twenty  thousand  slips,  upon  which  the 
great  artist  had  sketched  all  manner  of  initial 
themes.  He  was  investing  in  ideas,  and  we 
have  the  results  in  his  marvellous  productions. 
Ruskin  himself  is  an  example  of  the  same 
simple  and  universal  law.  In  his  preface  to 
Mr.  E.  T.  Cooke's  "Guide  to  the  National 
Gallery,"  he  writes  these  words:  "When  I 
last  lingered  in  the  gallery  before  my  old  fa- 
vourites, I  thought  them  more  wonderful  than 
ever  before."  He  was  continually  giving  the 
strength  of  a  finer  quest,  and  he  returned  from 
his  quest  with  richer  discoveries. 


128    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

We  may  follow  the  application  of  the  prin- 
ciple into  the  social  realm.  Even  on  the  ele- 
mentary plane  of  a  subscription  our  interest  is 
really  born  with  our  contribution.  It  is  sur- 
prising what  a  little  investment  of  this  kind 
will  do  to  create  and  quicken  a  man's  atten- 
tion. And  if  we  increase  our  capital,  our  in- 
terest in  the  institution  increases  with  it.  If 
we  begin  to  withdraw  our  contribution,  the  in- 
terest itself  is  withdrawn.  In  all  social  causes 
our  humane  interests  are  in  precise  proportion 
to  our  investments.  If  we  put  no  thought 
into  the  condition  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Congo,  if  we  send  no  exploring  sympathies 
among  the  downtrodden  people  of  Russian 
cities  and  Russian  wastes,  there  will  be  no 
interest,  and  these  fellow-men  will  be  as 
though  they  had  no  place  on  the  planet;  but  if 
we  fix  our  thoughts  upon  their  oppressions, 
and  their  woes,  and  their  deprivations,  if  we 
settle  our  minds  upon  them,  like  invested  capi- 
tal, a  great  interest  will  waken  in  our  souls, 
which  will  again  expend  itself  in  chivalrous 
endeavour  and  service. 

If  we  ascend  still  higher  into  the  affectional 
realm,  into  the  home  of  holy  love,  we  shall  find 
that  the  gracious  interest  is  determined  by  the 
quality  of  our  investment.  It  is  even  so  in 
the  sacred  relationship  of  husband  and  wife. 


CAPITAL  AND  INTEREST        129 

The  love  of  courtship  is  often  larger  and  fuller 
than  the  love  of  married  life,  and  it  is  simply 
because  in  the  courtship  there  were  more 
kindly  courtesies  and  more  reverent  and  con- 
stant devotion.  It  frequently  happens  that, 
when  the  wedded  life  begins,  the  delicate  cour- 
tesies that  prevailed  before  the  wedding  are 
dropped,  and  life  becomes  grey  and  conven- 
tional. All  of  which  means  that  capital  has 
been  withdrawn  and  the  returns  have  suffered. 
Everybody  knows  how  true  this  is  in  the  re- 
lationship of  friend  and  friend.  If  the  capi- 
tal of  thought  fulness  is  withdrawn,  fraternal 
interest  begins  to  drop.  If  two  friends  be- 
come divided  by  the  waste  of  waters,  it  may 
chance  that  their  letters  become  less  and  less 
frequent,  and  their  courtesies  more  and  more 
scanty,  until  the  old  profound,  vital  interest 
is  almost  dead.  We  begin  to  give  up  the 
friendship,  and  then  the  interest  dies. 

And  in  the  last  place,  the  principle  finds  ap- 
plication in  the  highest  of  all  regions,  the 
spiritual  realm.  Many  of  us  have  so  little  in- 
terest in  the  things  of  the  highest  because  we 
put  no  capital  into  them.  We  know  perfectly 
well  that  if  we  put  as  little  into  anything  else, 
say,  into  our  business,  or  even  into  our  pleas- 
ures, we  should  have  no  returns.  Take  the 
interest  we  derive  from  the  Word  of  God. 


130    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

What  right  have  many  of  us  to  expect  any  in- 
terest at  all  ?  We  put  nothing  into  it,  and  yet 
sometimes  we  expect  an  abundant  return.  We 
do  not  seek  it  as  we  should  search  for  secret 
veins  of  gold;  we  do  not  diligently  seek  for  it 
as  for  "  treasure  hid  in  the  field.,,  What  have 
we  invested  in  the  New  Testament?  How 
much  of  thought,  how  much  of  imagination, 
how  much  of  sympathy,  how  much  of  sheer 
will  ?  From  the  standpoint  of  common  trade, 
have  we  any  right  to  expect  returns? 

And  I  would  include  in  all  this  meditation 
the  means  and  ministry  of  prayer.  Our  in- 
terest in  prayer  is  determined  by  the  capital 
we  invest.  Look  at  the  example  of  our  Lord 
the  Christ.  "  Rising  a  great  while  before  day, 
He  went  up  into  a  mountain  apart,  to  pray." 
"  He  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  God." 
"  And  as  He  prayed  His  sweat  was  as  it  were 
great  drops  of  blood."  Has  our  season  of 
prayer  any  resemblance  to  these?  Does  it 
suggest  energy  and  sacrifice,  even  to  the  point 
of  blood?  Are  our  intercessions  weighted 
with  purpose,  and  have  we  the  demeanour  of 
an  armed  man  cleaving  his  way  to  some  shin- 
ing palace  of  gold?  How  much  do  we  put 
into  it?  When  a  man  speaks  of  losing  in- 
terest in  prayer,  he  had  better  raise  the  pre- 


CAPITAL  AND  INTEREST        131 

vious  question  as  to  the  amount  of  capital  he 
has  withdrawn  from  the  holy  trade. 

Many  of  us  have  scarcely  begun  to  pray  at 
all.  We  have  only  played  at  praying.  It  has 
not  been  a  mighty  business;  it  has  only  been  a 
harmless  convention.  We  have  put  nothing 
into  it,  and  therefore  we  have  taken  nothing 
out.     We  have  "  prayed  amiss." 

Our  primary  concern  must  be  with  the  cap- 
ital, and  God  will  attend  to  the  interest.  Let 
us  invest,  in  all  high  and  holy  things,  all  our 
mind  and  soul  and  heart  and  strength.  And 
there  will  be  returned  to  us  in  holy  interest 
and  affection  "  good  measure,  pressed  down, 
shaken  together,  and  running  over." 


XVII 
BRUISED   REEDS 

THE  Scriptures  speak  of  some  people 
under  the  figure  of  "  bruised  reeds." 
What  is  the  significance  of  the  figure? 
Think  of  it,  first  of  all,  as  a  broken  musical 
reed.  The  shepherd  boy  cut  a  reed  and 
turned  it  into  a  flute;  and  sweet  music  was 
reed  music,  mingling  with  the  sound  of  the 
breeze  on  the  uplands  of  the  hills,  and  with 
the  murmur  of  the  pines!  But  if  the  reed 
were  bruised  and  broken,  if  some  beast  had 
stepped  upon  it  with  heavy,  heedless  foot,  and 
it  lay  there  splintered  and  riven,  how  worth- 
less the  instrument !  What  shall  the  shepherd 
boy  do  with  the  reed  that  has  lost  its  power  to 
make  a  musical  note?  He  will  snap  it  and 
fling  it  away !  He  will  "  break  the  bruised 
reed." 

Now,  there  are  men  and  women  who  are 
just  like  these  broken  natural  flutes.  They 
have  lost  the  simple  music  of  a  sweet  and  hu- 
man life.  When  their  souls  are  breathed 
upon  by  the  breath  of  God  they  are  like  a 
splintered  reed,  and  they  give  no  musical  re- 
133 


BRUISED  REEDS  1&3 

sponse.  The  breath  wakes  no  bird-note  of 
faith  or  hope  or  love.  When  their  souls  are 
breathed  upon  by  the  breath  of  human  fellow- 
ship they  are  like  a  bruised  reed,  and  there  is 
no  fraternal  answer.  They  have  lost  their 
humanness,  their  rich,  full  sympathy  with  God 
and  man. 

How  do  the  reeds  become  broken?  There 
are  many  ways  in  which  the  fracture  may  be 
made.  The  reed  may  be  broken  by  the  brutal 
tread  of  personal  sin.  A  beast  going  down 
to  the  river  to  slake  his  thirst  may  crush  a  reed 
into  the  mire,  and  an  appetite  going  out  to 
drink  may  destroy  the  music  of  the  soul.  But 
the  reed  can  also  be  broken  by  the  heavy  bur- 
den of  grief  and  sorrow.  We  speak  of  a 
broken  heart,  a  heart  in  which  the  singing 
spirit  is  bruised  and  silent.  It  is  not  uncom- 
mon, when  some  heavy  calamity  of  woe  has 
fallen  upon  a  woman,  to  hear  it  said  of  her, 
"  No  one  ever  heard  her  sing  again."  The 
fragile  reed  was  bruised  and  splintered. 

And  again,  the  reed  can  be  fractured  by  the 
nipping  pressure  of  anxiety  and  care.  The 
frost  can  crack  a  lute,  and  freezing  care  can 
chill  "  the  genial  currents  of  the  soul,"  and 
break  its  music.  "  How  can  we  sing  the 
Lord's  song  in  the  land  of  the  stranger,"  in  a 
cold  climate,  where  the  soul-instrument  be- 


184*    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

comes  mute?  In  all  these  ways  and  in  many 
others  the  fragile  reeds  can  be  bruised,  and 
"  the  daughters  of  music  are  brought  low." 

And  what  can  we  do  with  these  "  bruised 
reeds  " ?  I  will  ask  a  larger  question,  in  or- 
der to  obtain  a  more  heartening  reply.  What 
will  the  Saviour  do  with  these  "  bruised 
lutes  "  ?  Well,  He  will  not  break  them  and 
finish  their  destruction.  He  will  not  discard 
and  abandon  them.  He  will  not  fling  them 
away.  He  will  restore  the  bruised  reed. 
May  we  not  say  that  He  is  the  Physician  of 
Broken  Reeds,  going  about  to  restore  the  lost 
power  of  music  and  song?  Unlike  the  shep- 
herd boy,  the  Great  Shepherd  can  mend  the 
broken  lutes.  He  can  restore  unto  us  "  the 
joy  of  His  salvation."  Here  is  a  familiar  ex- 
ample. There  is  a  lad  with  a  life  yielding  a 
note  like  the  mellow  music  of  a  fine,  strong, 
musical  reed.  His  life  is  whole  and  melo- 
dious, and  no  beast  strides  across  his  sacred 
place.  And  then  some  alien  impulse  lays  hold 
of  him,  and  he  goes  forth  to  "  spend  his  sub- 
stance in  riotous  living."  The  lute  is  sorely 
bruised.  "  He  began  to  be  in  want."  And 
how  was  he  regarded  by  his  fellows  ?  "  No 
man  gave  unto  him."  He  was  broken  and  re- 
jected, broken  and  flung  away!  But  let  me 
hasten  to  the  end  of  the  narrative.     "  When 


BRUISED  REEDS  135 

the  elder  son  came  near  the  house  he  heard 
music."  And  what  was  that  music?  It  was 
the  restored  music  of  the  repaired  lute,  the 
love-song  sounding  again  through  the  mended 
reed.  "  He  hath  put  a  new  song  in  my 
mouth."  It  was  the  recovery  of  the  lost 
chord.  Thus  our  gracious  Lord  can  deal  with 
bruised  reeds  when  they  have  been  riven  by 
sorrow  or  care  or  sin.  "  I  will  seek  again 
that  which  was  lost,  and  bring  again  that 
which  was  driven  away,  and  will  bind  up  that 
which  was  broken,  and  will  strengthen  that 
which  was  sick." 

But  we  may  look  again  at  the  figure  of  the 
reed  in  the  interpreting  light  of  our  Lord. 
Let  us  drop  the  suggestion  of  the  musical  reed, 
and  regard  it  as  just  the  swaying,  pliable  reed 
of  the  desert.  I  think  there  may  have  been 
some  proverbial  phrase  associated  with  the 
reed  of  the  wilderness,  and  I  think  we  catch 
a  suggestion  of  it  in  the  speech  of  our  Lord. 
44  What  went  ye  out  into  the  wilderness  to 
see?  A  reed  shaken  by  the  wind?"  The 
reed  of  the  wilderness  was  used  to  describe  a 
certain  type  and  quality  of  life.  The  desert 
reed  yielded  before  the  wind;  it  was  swayed, 
anyhow,  any  way,  anywhere.  It  bent  before 
the  wind,  from  whatever  quarter  it  blew,  and 
became  the  type  of  frailty,  fragility,  pliability. 


1S6    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

But  we  are  to  add  another  characteristic  even 
to  this  vivid  symbol  of  impotence.  It  is  not 
only  a  swaying,  desert  reed,  but  a  "  bruised 
reed,"  broken  on  its  stem  and  withering  at  the 
fracture!  Can  we  find  an  image  more  ex- 
traordinarily expressive  of  concentrated  weak- 
ness? 

Well,  now,  there  are  people  just  like  those 
desert  reeds.  They  are  the  opportunists, 
yielding  and  bruised.  They  change  their 
opinion  every  hour,  until  the  very  power  of 
conviction  is  gone.  They  change  their  move- 
ments with  the  movements  of  the  hour,  until 
the  very  power  of  self -initiative  is  lost.  They 
become  bruised  in  the  wind.  What  can  we 
do  with  them?  What  do  we  do  with  them? 
In  our  folly  we  discard  them.  We  despise 
them.  We  count  them  as  worthless.  We 
fling  them  away.  But  what  will  the  Saviour 
do  with  human  reeds,  these  playthings  of  the 
wind,  the  sport  of  caprice,  the  broken  crea- 
tures of  the  passing  hour?  "He  will  not 
break  the  bruised  reed."  He  will  turn  the 
bruised  reed  into  "  an  iron  pillar,"  and  "  out 
of  weakness  it  shall  be  made  strong." 

Here  is  a  man  "  driven  by  the  wind  and 
tossed."  It  was  said  unto  him,  "  Thou  also 
wast  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  but  he  denied, 
saying,  "  I  know  not,  neither  understand  I 


BRUISED  REEDS  137 

what  thou  sayest."  A  poor  bruised  reed, 
yielding  and  breaking  before  the  wind!  But 
now  listen  to  the  risen  Lord.  "  Go,  tell  My 
disciples  and  Peter."  What  is  the  signifi- 
cance of  that  word?  It  is  the  Lord  at  work 
on  the  bruised  reed.  "  Simon,  son  of  Jonas, 
lovest  thou  Me  ?  "  It  is  the  Lord  at  work  on 
a  broken  heart,  giving  it  the  gracious  oppor- 
tunity of  recovery  and  of  once  again  express- 
ing itself  in  adoration  and  service.  Look 
further  on  in  the  narrative.  "  When  they 
saw  the  boldness  of  Peter."  And  what  is  the 
significance  of  that?  It  is  the  old,  trembling, 
shaking  reed  converted  into  an  iron  pillar;  it 
is  discipleship  made  "faithful  unto  death." 


XVIII 
INFIRMITIES   IN   PRAYER 

I  WANT  to  consider  some  of  the  weak- 
nesses which  beset  us  when  we  commune 
with  God  in  prayer.  If  we  can  clearly 
recognize  our  infirmities  we  may  apprehend 
what  is  the  promised  ministry  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  "  The  Spirit  also  helpeth  our  infirmi- 
ties."  I  know  I  cannot  go  far  along  the  road, 
for  it  soon  passes  into  mystery  and  obscurity. 
But  steadily  to  contemplate  our  weaknesses  will 
surely  reveal  to  us  where  the  Holy  Spirit  will 
bring  us  needful  strength.  And  in  the  enu- 
meration of  some  of  these  infirmities  I  think  I 
should  first  of  all  mention  the  weakness  of  ap- 
petite. We  may  realize  this  weakness  if  we 
contrast  it  with  the  strength  of  appetite  re- 
vealed in  other  relationships.  Take  a  man's 
appetite  for  business  with  all  its  keenness  of 
strenuousness  and  intensity.  Or  take  a  man's 
appetite  for  pleasure,  which  is  often  as  burn- 
ing as  the  thirst  of  the  fever-stricken.  Or 
contrast  our  appetite  for  a  novel  with  our  in- 
terest in  the  things  of  God.  When  we  turn 
to  pray  there  is  frequently  no  effective  driving 
188 


INFIRMITIES  IN  PRAYER       139 

taste  in  our  fellowship.  And  the  taste  for  a 
thing  is  always  a  mighty  dynamic.  When 
our  taste  for  anything  is  weak  we  loiter  along 
the  road,  and  we  are  oppressed  with  our  own 
weakness.  So  it  is  with  our  weakness  of  ap- 
petite in  prayer.  We  are  oppressed  by  com- 
parative indifference,  and  in  the  sense  of  in- 
sipidity we  play  with  the  great  concern. 

And  there  is  a  second  infirmity  which  I  will 
call  our  weakness  of  faith.  We  have  no 
strong  belief  in  our  business.  Real  faith  is  a 
fountain  of  boundless  energy.  At  Tober- 
mory, on  the  west  of  Scotland,  a  little  hand- 
ful of  men  have  a  strong  faith  that  a  sunken 
galleon  from  the  Spanish  Armada  is  the  prison 
house  of  great  treasure,  and  their  faith  is  pro- 
ductive of  an  energy  which  makes  zealous 
quest.  "  Faith  is  the  assurance  of  things 
hoped  for."  Faith  acts  mightily  on  the  as- 
sumption that  the  thing  hoped  for  is,  and  that 
the  next  step  may  bring  us  face  to  face  with 
our  goal.  Have  we  this  kind  of  faith? 
When  we  turn  to  God  in  prayer,  do  we  turn 
to  it  with  the  quiet  assurance  that  we  are 
drawing  near  to  a  boundless  treasury?  Do 
we  set  about  it  as  though  our  hands  were  upon 
mighty  levers  whose  movement  can  effect  a 
revolution?  King  George  touched  an  electric 
button  in  London,  and  a  gate  swung  open  in 


140    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

Canada.  A  lever  was  turned  in  London 
and  a  Government  House  in  Cape  Town  was 
flooded  with  light.  When  we  pray  to  the 
Lord,  does  any  analogous  possibility  thrill  our 
souls?  Have  we  faith  that  we  can  open 
closed  doors,  or  that  we  can  be  the  ministers 
of  enlightenment  even  to  souls  that  are  far 
away?  Surely  one  of  our  infirmities  is  our 
weakness  of  faith.  We  are  not  uplifted  by 
the  assurance  that  we  are  in  touch  with  the 
possibilities  of  endless  possessions. 

Another  infirmity  which  I  will  name  is  the 
weakness  of  spirituality.  Even  when  we  go 
to  the  treasury  we  frequently  ask  for  the 
smallest  things.  We  do  not  honour  the  great 
God  by  the  greatness  of  our  quests.  "  We  ask 
amiss."  Suppose  that  I  were  to  be  admitted 
into  a  great  library,  and  I  were  to  be  taken 
around  by  the  owner  and  reader  of  the  books, 
and  suppose  he  pointed  out  to  me  their  wealth 
of  glorious  lore,  and  the  wonders  of  music, 
of  vision,  and  of  dream  which  they  enshrined, 
and  suppose  he  were  to  say  to  me,  "Take 
whatever  you  like  from  my  library,"  and  I 
were  to  choose  a  wastepaper  basket !  Would 
not  my  request  disparage  the  owner,  and  trifle 
with  the  wealth  of  his  provision?  Or  if  in 
some  great  studio  the  artist  himself  should 
point  out  to  me  the  riches  of  perception,  and 


INFIRMITIES  IN  PRAYER       141 

the  glory  of  workmanship  in  line  and  colour, 
and  he  were  to  offer  me  anything  I  pleased  to 
choose,  and  suppose  I  were  to  carry  away  a 
picture-f rame !  But  occasions  that  would  be 
incredible  in  human  relationships  are  quite 
common  in  our  relationships  with  God. 
We  ask  Him  for  things  that  matter  least.  We 
neglect  the  things  that  are  all-important.  We 
emphasize  the  temporal  rather  than  the  eter- 
nal. We  choose  the  earthly  instead  of  the 
heavenly.  We  emphasize  goods  more  than 
goodness,  and  we  are  more  concerned  with 
bodily  health  than  with  spiritual  robustness. 
And  all  the  time  the  big  things  are  waiting, 
"  above  all  that  we  can  ask  or  think." 

And  here  is  another  of  our  infirmities  when 
we  seek  to  commune  with  God,  our  weakness 
of  sympathy.  There  is  little  range  in  our 
intercessions.  The  liners  on  the  high  seas 
can  now  be  contrasted  by  the  wealth  of  their 
wireless  equipments.  Some  equipments  can 
only  carry  correspondence  over  exceedingly 
limited  areas,  while  the  greatest  liners  throw 
their  mystic  arms  over  enormous  seas.  A 
man's  sympathies  may  be  regarded  as  his 
wireless  equipment.  Some  are  pathetically 
poor  and  have  no  range  beyond  the  circle  of 
their  own  family  life.  Others  may  be  sensi- 
tive over  the  area  of  their  own  denomination. 


142    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

But  powerful  saints  have  an  equipment  which 
touches  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth.  Our  prayers  are  deter- 
mined in  their  range  by  the  wealth  or  poverty 
of  this  equipment,  and  I  think  we  may  say 
that  very  commonly  our  sympathetic  corre- 
spondences are  dwarfed  and  scanty. 

And  the  last  infirmity  that  I  will  mention 
is  the  weakness  of  understanding.  Frequently 
when  I  pray  I  am  face  to  face  with  problems 
to  which  I  can  see  no  solution.  We  cannot 
see  all  round  the  thing,  and  we  "  know  not 
what  to  pray  for  as  we  ought."  I  am  writing 
these  words  in  the  critical  hours  of  the  Balkan 
crisis.  Just  precisely  how  shall  I  pray  about 
it?  What  would  be  best  for  Europe?  What 
redistribution  of  powers  will  redound  most  to 
the  glory  of  God?  Here  my  understanding 
may  be  limited,  and  I  pray  without  the 
requisite  enlightenment.  Well,  in  all  these 
ways  the  spirit  is  encumbered  by  infirmity,  and 
we  are  in  great  need  of  a  mighty  Helper. 
"  The  Spirit  also  helpeth  our  infirmities,"  and 
most  assuredly  He  helps  us  in  the  midst  of  all 
the  weaknesses  of  an  enemy.  Wherever  the 
soul  stumbles  in  its  frailties,  the  Holy  Spirit, 
if  we  permit  Him,  will  bring  the  needful  help. 

But  more  than  all  this  I  feel  sure  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  strengthens  the  very  prayers  we 


INFIRMITIES  IN  PRAYER       143 

make.  For  what  weak  things  they  are,  even 
at  the  best!  Perhaps  my  body  is  itself  a  hin- 
drance. I  have  a  hard  day's  work,  and  I  am 
tired  out,  and  I  have  scarcely  the  physical  or 
mental  vigour  to  fix  my  thoughts  upon  the 
Highest.  My  evening  prayer  is  very  weak, 
and  has  little  promise  of  effectiveness.  But 
surely  just  here  the  Holy  Spirit  will  help  my 
infirmities  by  adding  strength  to  my  petitions ! 
Some  signatures  change  weak  appeals  into 
conquests.  If  we  can  only  secure  the  signa- 
ture of  a  member  of  the  Royal  house,  what 
urgency  it  gives  to  our  plea!  And  perhaps 
in  the  mysterious  depths  of  the  soul  our  poor 
lame  appeals  receive  the  signature  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  He  "  maketh  intercessions  for  us 
with  groanings  that  cannot  be  uttered." 

And,  finally,  I  think  the  Holy  Spirit  cor- 
rects our  prayers.  We  may  pray  in  our  short- 
sightedness, and  we  ask  the  things  that  will 
bring  no  blessing.  But  the  Holy  Spirit,  who 
knoweth  the  mind  of  God,  puts  aside  our  own 
petition  and  intercedes  for  what  will  bring  us 
the  gift  of  God's  wonderful  grace.  The 
Apostle  Paul  prayed  that  he  might  be  deliv- 
ered from  his  "  thorn  in  the  flesh,"  but  the 
Holy  Spirit  interceded  for  him,  and  while  the 
thorn  remained  he  received  an  all-sufficient  en- 
dowment  of   the   grace   of    God.     And    St. 


144    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

Monica,  the  mother  of  Augustine,  prayed  that 
her  son  might  not  be  taken  from  her  side. 
But  the  Holy  Spirit  interceded,  and  Augustine 
was  taken  to  Italy,  to  Milan,  to  Ambrose,  and 
to  his  life  in  Christ! 

And  thus  are  we  saved  from  the  peril  of  our 
own  limitations,  and  better  things  are  given 
to  us  than  we  desired.  Our  Friend  in  Com- 
munion watches  our  interests  rather  than  our 
words,  and  the  gracious  answer  that  comes  to 
us  is  inspired  by  His  understanding  of  all 
things,  "  yea,  of  the  deep  things  of  God." 


XIX 
THE  FRIENDS    OF  JESUS 

I  SUPPOSE  that  the  greatest  title  ever 
conferred  upon  men  was  the  one  used  by 
Jesus  when  He  addressed  His  disciples 
as  "  My  friends."  Compared  with  this  all 
other  titles  and  nobilities  are  tawdry  and  arti- 
ficial. They  are  as  wax  flowers  and  fruits  in 
contrast  with  the  sweet-perfumed  loveliness  of 
gardens  and  woods.  They  are  like  harsh, 
glaring  stage  effects  set  in  contrast  with  the 
soft  splendours  of  the  dawn.  An  earthly  dig- 
nity always  carries  with  it  a  certain  autumnal 
air,  a  suggestion  of  the  fading  leaf.  The 
heavenly  dignity  is  always  significant  of  the 
eternal  spring  and  the  "  never-withering  flow- 
ers." "  My  friends."  No  other  honour  will 
ever  come  our  way  which  for  a  moment  can 
be  compared  with  this. 

Let  us  for  a  moment  think  who  He  is  who 
confers  the  title.  He  is  the  "  young  Prince 
of  Glory,"  the  true  expression  and  the  sub- 
dued effulgence  of  God.  These  are  familiar 
and  perhaps  well-worn  words,  and  their  sov- 
ereign superscription  may  have  been  partially 
145 


146    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

effaced.  Does  it  still  awake  the  sense  of  won- 
der that  the  Prince  of  Glory  walked  the  dusty 
ways  of  men?  I  remember  reading  years  ago 
a  quaint  little  book,  written  with  daring  and 
yet  reverent  imagination,  in  which  the  writer 
sought  to  express  something  of  the  limitless 
wonder  of  the  angels  when  the  Prince  of 
Glory  declared  His  purpose  to  leave  the  abode 
of  light  and  enter  the  shadows  and  the  dark- 
ness, that  He  might  redeem  the  stricken  earth- 
family  from  their  sin.  The  imagination  was 
certainly  daring,  but  the  awed  spirit  of  the 
writer  saved  it  from  transgression,  and  he  cer- 
tainly conveyed  some  sense  of  the  wondrous 
happenings  in  the  unseen  world  when  the  be- 
loved Prince  set  out  to  befriend  the  children 
of  men.  "  The  word  was  with  God,  and  the 
word  was  God.  All  things  were  made  by 
Him,  and  without  Him  was  not  anything 
made  that  hath  been  made."  "  He  is  before 
all  things,  and  in  Him  all  things  consist." 
And  this  strong  Son  of  God  came  to  befriend 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  men,  and  to  seek 
their  friendship  in  return.  "Ye  are  My 
friends." 

And  upon  whom  does  He  confer  the  title? 
Well,  there  is  a  couple  of  fishermen  among 
them,  James  and  John.  He  found  them  on 
the  shore  mending  their  nets.     And  there  are 


THE  FRIENDS  OF  JESUS        147 

two  other  fishermen,  Simon  and  Andrew,  also 
found  at  their  humble  toil.  And  there  is  at 
least  one  tax-collector,  picked  up  at  the  very 
booth  where  the  customs'  dues  were  being 
paid.  And  there  is  another  man,  quiet,  deep, 
and  thoughtful,  discovered  in  hungry  reveries 
beneath  a  fig-tree.  And  these  are  types  of 
the  men  the  Prince  of  Glory  gathered  about 
Him.  That  is  the  first  wonder  of  it.  His 
friendship  crossed  all  the  hoary  barriers  of 
sex,  and  caste,  and  education,  and  possession; 
and  in  a  wide  and  glorious  intimacy  He  sought 
and  found  His  friends  everywhere,  among  the 
learned  and  the  unlearned,  the  high  and  the 
low,  the  rich  and  the  poor.  And  the  true 
aristocracy  in  that  day,  had  it  only  been  recog- 
nized, like  the  true  aristocracy  in  our  own 
day,  did  we  only  know  it,  are  those  who  live 
in  the  intimacy  of  the  Prince's  presence  and 
who  have  the  rare  and  radiant  distinction  to 
be  called  His  friends. 

Let  us  think  a  little  while  upon  some  of  the 
characteristics  of  this  great  friendship;  upon 
some  of  the  distinctive  signs  of  the  friends  of 
the  Lord.  First  of  all,  then,  this  friendship 
is  characterized  by  openness  of  disposition. 
Some  lives  are  close  and  closed,  and  they  ap- 
pear to  be  almost  incapable  of  friendship. 
You  can  never  get   beyond  their   doorstep. 


148    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

Their  doors  are  shut,  their  windows  are  closed, 
their  blinds  are  drawn.  However  long  you 
know  them  they  never  let  you  know  anything. 
Other  lives  are  open  to  your  approach,  they 
open  as  a  flower  opens  to  the  gentle  siege  of 
the  sunshine.  These  are  the  people  who  are 
capable  of  friendship.  One  door  after  an- 
other opens  out  in  the  treasury  of  their  soul. 
You  are  taken  first  into  the  realm  of  thought, 
then  into  the  realm  of  desire  and  feeling,  and 
then  into  the  innermost  room  of  prayer  and 
praise.  Concerning  such  a  soul  we  say,  "  I 
know  him  through  and  through."  And  so  it 
is  with  the  friends  of  Christ.  There  is  per- 
fect openness  between  the  soul  and  the  Lord. 
There  is  openness  on  the  side  of  the  Master. 
He  hides  nothing  we  need  to  know.  "  I  have 
set  before  thee  an  open  door."  All  things 
that  I  have  heard  of  My  Father  I  have  made 
known  unto  you."  "  He  shall  take  of  Mine 
and  show  it  unto  you."  And  there  must  be  a 
similar  openness  on  the  side  of  man.  "  If 
any  man  open  the  door  I  will  come  in  and  sup 
with  him."  There  must  be  no  reserve,  no 
sheltered  secrets,  no  private  chamber  where 
questionable  purpose  is  hid.  The  Lord  must 
have  the  run  of  the  house.  He  must  know  all. 
There  must  be  perfect  openness  of  disposition. 
And,    secondly,    this    friendship    is    distin- 


THE  FRIENDS  OF  JESUS        149 

guished  by  a  responsive  sympathy.  There 
must  not  only  be  open  doors  between  two 
friends,  there  must  be  sympathetic  fellowship. 
It  was  asked  by  a  prophet  long  ago  concern- 
ing man  and  his  God,  "  Can  two  walk  together 
except  they  be  agreed?  n  If  two  people  walk 
together  they  must  agree  at  any  rate  on  two 
things;  they  must  have  a  common  aim,  and 
they  must  have  a  common  pace.  And  the 
friends  of  Christ  who  seek  to  walk  with  Him 
must  share  His  aim,  His  ends,  His  goals.  They 
must  also  keep  step  with  Him  and  not  move 
either  before  or  behind.  We  mar  the  friend- 
ship by  precipitate  haste,  and  we  bruise  it  by 
destructive  delay.  And  therefore  I  say  that 
this  high  friendship  demands  a  sensitive  and 
responsive  sympathy.  There  must  be  fellow- 
ship in  aversions,  there  must  be  fellowship 
in  attachments.  There  must  be  the  same  loves 
and  the  same  hatreds.  There  must  be  the 
same  fundamental  moral  tastes.  We  must 
agree  on  what  is  bitter,  and  we  must  agree 
on  what  is  sweet.  Friendship  with  the  Lord 
aspires  after  that  wonderful  communion 
which  the  Master  Himself  described  when  He 
said,  "  I  and  My  Father  are  one." 

And  in  the  third  place  this  friendship  is 
marked  by  natural  and  unreckoned  sacrifices. 
Friendship  is  never  really  noble  and  matured 


150    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

until  on  both  sides  it  becomes  unconsciously 
sacrificial.  Friend  must  bleed  for  friend  and 
not  see  the  blood.  There  are  three  or  four 
grades  of  friendship,  beginning  on  an  ele- 
mentary scale  which  scarcely  deserves  the 
name  of  friendship  at  all,  and  rising  into  a 
glory  of  self-abandonment  which  makes  us 
kinsmen  of  the  Christ.  On  the  lowest  stage 
there  is  a  friendship  which  only  covets  per- 
sonal gain.  It  is  there  for  what  it  can  make 
out  of  you.  On  this  plane  friendship  is  only 
association.  Love  has  not  yet  dawned,  for 
the  inmost  heart  and  life  of  love  is  an  imparta- 
tion  of  self.  On  the  second  grade  there  is  a 
friendship  which  gives,  and  which  likes  to  dis- 
play its  gift.  It  loves  to  stand  back  and  ad- 
miringly contemplate  its  own  offerings.  It  is 
always  conscious  when  it  is  giving,  how  it  is 
giving,  and  the  nature  and  price  of  its  gifts. 
It  is  calculating  and  not  spontaneous.  It  is 
never  unknowingly  generous,  it  is  never  un- 
rememberingly  bountiful,  it  is  never  gloriously 
and  forgetfully  prodigal  of  its  own  blood.  It 
is  a  friendship  which  gives  and  which  care- 
fully registers  the  amount  of  its  gifts. 

And  thirdly  there  is  the  friendship  that  is 
unmindful  of  its  sacrifices.  This  is  a  glorious 
type  which,  while  it  gives,  has  all  the  gracious 
feeling  of  receiving.     In  its  sacrifices  it  is  far 


THE  FRIENDS  OF  JESUS        151 

more  conscious  of  income  than  of  expendi- 
ture; indeed,  the  sense  of  expenditure  is  al- 
most  altogether   absent.     "  I    was   hungered 

and  ye  gave  Me  meat."     "  Lord,  when ?  " 

That  is  a  lofty  and  radiant  plane  of  achieve- 
ment. Can  any  relationship  be  more  intimate 
and  gracious  than  for  two  friends  to  be  pour- 
ing their  life  into  each  other  and  both  of  them 
unconscious  of  any  sacrifice?  And  yet  per- 
haps there  is  even  a  further  height  on  this 
glorious  tableland  of  being  when,  in  the  un- 
consciousness of  sacrifice,  one  man  hungers 
for  a  deeper  share  in  the  sufferings  of  his 
friend.  And  that  is  the  craving  of  the  Prince 
of  Glory  towards  you  and  me.  He  hungered 
and  hungers  to  share  our  sufferings,  to  enter 
into  our  travail.  "  He  bore  our  sins  and  car- 
ried our  sorrows." 

In  every  pang  that  rends  the  heart 
The  Man  of  Sorrows  has  a  part. 

That  must  be  our  craving  towards  our 
Saviour-Friend.  We  must  aspire  to  share 
His  sufferings.  It  must  be  our  coveted  privi- 
lege "  not  only  to  believe  on  Him,  but  also  to 
suffer  for  His  sake."  We  must  enter  into 
"  the  travail  that  makes  His  kingdom  come." 
We  must  share  His  sufferings  in  fighting 
ignorance,  in  warring  against  wrong,  and  in 


152    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

proclaiming  the  evangel  of  love  and  grace  to 
wayward  and  indifferent  men.  This  is  the 
high  and  priceless  privilege  of  the  friends  of 
Christ. 

And  now  I  have  one  bit  of  counsel  to  offer 
to  those  who  are  seeking  to  be  the  friends  of 
the  Lord.  Keep  your  friendship  with  the 
Lord  in  good  repair.  There  is  a  German 
proverb  which  says  that  "  Friendship  is  a  plant 
that  we  must  water  often."  It  must  not  be 
allowed  to  take  its  chance.  Human  friend- 
ships have  to  be  tended,  for  there  is  no  fair 
thing  in  the  world  which  can  thrive  in  an  at- 
mosphere of  neglect.  And  therefore  we  must 
carefully  attend  to  our  friendship  with  the 
Lord.  "  Friendship  should  be  surrounded 
with  ceremonies  and  respects."  Yes,  even  the 
wonderful  liberties  of  friendship  are  helped  by 
tender  courtesies.  So  is  it  respecting  our 
friendship  with  Christ.  We  must  surround  it 
with  ceremonies  and  respects.  I  believe  there 
is  a  way  of  kneeling,  a  way  of  going  on  one's 
knees,  a  way  of  rising  from  one's  knees,  which 
will  enrich  the  intimacy  of  our  freedom  with 
the  Lord.  "  Oh,  come,  let  us  worship  and 
bow  down." 

And  as  for  the  Master's  side  of  the  friend- 
ship, it  cannot  be  put  into  words.  "  He  is  a 
friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother." 


THE  FRIENDS  OF  JESUS        153 

He  loves  to  make  friends  of  the  failure,  the 
bruised,  the  unfortunate,  and  him  that  hath 
no  helper.  And  He  wants  to  befriend  thee 
and  me  to-day,  in  all  our  sins,  in  all  our  sor- 
rows, in  all  our  worries,  in  all  the  manifold 
changes  of  the  ever-changing  day. 

His  friendship  transforms  every  road. 
Every  road  unveils  spiritual  wonders  when 
He  walks  with  us,  and  blessings  abound  on 
every  side.  The  very  consciousness  of  His 
presence  begets  a  peace  which  is  itself  the  me- 
dium of  discernment,  and  we  are  able,  on  the 
most  ordinary  road,  to  know  some  of  "  the 
things  that  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that 
love  Him." 


XX 
CONTACT   BUT   NOT   COMMUNION 

HERE  is  a  field,  and  here  is  the  sower 
sowing  the  seed.  "  And  some  seeds 
fell  by  the  wayside."  And  there  the 
seed  lies,  pregnant  with  life  and  fruit  fulness, 
but  it  cannot  get  into  the  ground.  The  vitali- 
ties in  the  earth  and  in  the  seed  do  not  come 
into  fellowship.  The  miracle  of  quickening 
and  growing  is  nearly  happening,  but  it  does 
not  happen.  A  harvest  is  all  but  at  the  birth, 
but  it  is  not  born.  So  near  and  yet  so  far! 
The  seed  and  the  earth  touch,  but  they  do  not 
combine.  There  is  contact,  but  no  com- 
munion. 

And  so  it  is,  says  the  Master,  in  the  field 
of  human  life.  Great  happenings  may  be  ex- 
ceedingly near  and  yet  appallingly  remote. 
Truth  may  be  up  against  the  soul,  and  yet 
there  may  be  no  fellowship.  The  human  and 
the  Divine  may  be  in  immediate  neighbour- 
hood, and  there  may  be  no  acquaintance.  We 
may  brush  against  God  and  nothing  more. 
The  Divine  may  be  as  near  the  human  as  the 
seed  to  the  wayside  ground,  and  still  there 
164 


CONTACT  BUT  NOT  COMMUNION     155 

may  be  no  apprehension.  There  may  be  con- 
tact, but  no  communion. 

And  so  this  appears  to  be  the  character  sug- 
gested in  the  Master's  words.  There  is  a  soul 
in  touch  with  truth,  but  not  free ;  in  touch  with 
life,  but  not  alive;  in  touch  with  God,  but  not 
sharing  the  nature  of  God.  God  is  near,  but 
the  soul  does  no  business.  Hands  touch,  but 
they  do  not  clasp  in  holy  covenant.  There  is 
contact,  but  no  communion. 

It  is  true  in  the  realm  of  our  material  en- 
vironment. God  is  immediately  near  in  His 
created  world.  There  is  a  mystic  Immanence 
which  touches  us  on  every  side.  The  desert 
furze-bush  is  inhabited  by  holy  flame.  Every 
common  place  is  the  home  of  Deity.  "  He 
rideth  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind."  "  The 
clouds  are  His  chariots/'  We  may  call  this 
poetry,  if  we  please,  but  we  do  not  banish  it 
from  the  realm  of  reality.  Men  and  women 
of  sensitive  spirit  are  aware  of  a  ubiquitous 
tenant,  of  an  august  Presence  lighting  up  the 
plainest  road.  God  is  very  near.  We  are 
touching  Him  every  moment.  But  there  may 
be  touch  and  no  perception,  no  fellowship,  no 
inter-passing  of  relations,  no  vital  correspond- 
ence. Tremendous  happenings  may  be  near 
the  birth,  but  nothing  is  born. 

It  is  equally  true  in  the  mystic  realms  of 


156    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

conscience.  The  truth  in  conscience  is  imme- 
diately near  to  me,  as  near  as  the  seed  that 
rests  upon  the  wayside.  The  Divine  is  in  con- 
tact with  the  human.  What  may  we  do  with 
it?  First,  we  may  not  recognize  it.  It  may 
be  a  seed  just  like  many  other  seeds  which 
have  been  wafted  to  us  on  the  wings  of  the 
wind.  God's  saying  is  mixed  up  with  other 
sayings.  His  decree  is  lost  amid  the  maxims 
and  expediencies  of  the  world.  His  truth  is 
buried  among  human  guesses  and  opinions. 
Or,  in  the  second  place,  we  may  give  the  dis- 
tinguished Presence  in  conscience  an  undis- 
tinguished name.  We  may  use  some  word 
that  will  encourage  us  in  lax  familiarity  and 
indifference.  The  Prince  of  Wales  has  been 
given  a  college  name  in  Oxford,  in  which  all 
Royal  significance  is  concealed.  It  is  a  hail- 
fellow-well-met  name,  in  which  the  coming 
King  becomes  an  ordinary  man  of  the  street. 
Thus  may  we  act  with  conscience.  We  may 
give  it  a  trifling  name,  and  then  begin  to  trifle 
with  it.  We  may  strip  it  of  its  imperial  pur- 
ple, and  clothe  it  in  a  common  dress,  and  then 
take  liberties  with  it.  We  may  call  it  a 
"  bogey,"  and  laugh  it  to  scorn.  Yes,  we  may 
say  "  bogey,"  and  dismiss  it  to  the  delusive 
shades.  Or,  thirdly,  we  may  just  take  the 
truth  into  the  vital  powers  of  life.     We  may 


CONTACT  BUT  NOT  COMMUNION     157 

receive  the  heavenly  Presence  and  entertain  it. 
We  may  take  the  truth  into  the  realm  of  judg- 
ment, to  determine  our  decisions.  We  may 
take  it  into  the  realm  of  the  will  to  determine 
our  actions.  And  so  we  may  fashion  the  life 
in  the  holy  likeness  of  God.  What  shall  we 
do  with  the  truth?  Shall  we  take  it  in  and 
assure  a  harvest,  or  shall  we  leave  it  out  and 
assure  a  desert?  The  seed  touches!  Shall  it 
be  only  contact  or  communion? 

Mark  again  how  the  Word  of  the  Lord  ap- 
plies to  the  secret  exercises  of  worship.  When 
we  meet  together  for  public  communion  God 
is  near,  how  near  we  cannot  express.  We 
cannot  help  but  touch  Him.  We  are  brushing 
against  Him  in  every  moment  of  the  sacred 
hour.  I  say  we  cannot  help  the  contact,  but 
we  can  refuse  the  communion.  There  may  be 
interest  but  no  reverence.  There  may  be  grace- 
ful postures,  but  no  sterling  homage.  When 
we  bow  to  pray  there  may  be  touch,  but  no 
grip.  In  the  feast  of  the  holy  sacrament  we 
may  handle  the  bread,  and  so  touch  the  very 
hem  of  His  garment,  and  yet  there  may  be  no 
sacred  union.  We  may  go  away  from  the 
service  in  the  assumption  that  we  have  had 
communion  when  we  have  only  been  in  con- 
tact with  the  Lord.  The  seed  touched  the 
wayside,  but  it  was  not  taken  in. 


158    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

Once  again  see  how  the  teaching  is  illus- 
trated in  the  realm  of  common  circumstances. 
The  Lord  who  visited  the  home  at  Bethany 
still  comes  to  the  homes  of  His  people.  The 
Lord  who  worked  in  the  carpenter's  shop  is 
still  in  the  centres  of  labour  and  business. 
And  the  Lord  of  the  evening  feast  at  Emmaus 
is  still  a  guest  at  the  common  meal.  In  all  our 
customary  circumstances  the  holy  Lord  is 
near.  We  cannot  help  but  touch  Him;  do  we 
commune  with  Him?  In  the  sacrament  of 
the  common  meal,  the  Lord  is  with  us  at  the 
table.  "  Thou  knowest  my  downsitting  and 
mine  uprising."  "  He  was  made  known  unto 
them  in  the  breaking  of  bread."  He  may  be 
so  near  and  yet  He  may  be  far  away.  He 
may  never  be  counted  among  the  guests.  His 
presence  may  be  ignored.  The  common  meal 
may  be  graceless,  thankless,  Godless,  with 
no  enrichment  or  suggestion  of  things  which 
are  Divine. 

And  so  is  it  also  in  the  sacrament  of  com- 
mon labour.  God  moves  to  and  fro  among 
our  common  tasks.  He  is  with  us  in  the  gift 
of  bread,  and  He  is  with  us  in  the  processes  by 
which  we  earn  it.  He  is  lovingly  concerned 
about  our  daily  toil,  and  He  would  hearten 
and  enlighten  the  worker  by  the  strength  and 
comforts  of  His  grace.     And  yet  how  truly 


CONTACT  BUT  NOT  COMMUNION     159 

do  we  know  that  the  workshop  may  have  noth- 
ing of  the  savour  of  the  temple,  and  may  be 
regarded  as  profane.  The  seed  is  near,  but 
not  in  the  ground.  The  Lord  is  near,  but  not 
in  the  soul.  And  yet  the  promise  abides: 
"  He  shall  be  with  you  and  shall  be  in  you." 

Happily,  thrice  happily,  this  alienation  can 
be  ended  by  the  exercise  of  our  own  choice  of 
will.  The  very  desire  to  receive  the  truth 
draws  the  seed  into  the  secret  place  of  the  soul. 
The  will  to  commune  means  that  communion 
has  begun.  When  I  kneel  in  sincerity  I  am 
opening  the  door  to  the  heavenly  guest :  "If 
any  man  will  open  the  door  I  will  come  in  and 
sup  with  him  and  he  with  Me."  That  is  the 
promise  of  the  Master;  it  has  never  been  re- 
voked; it  has  never  been  unredeemed.  There 
is  no  unwillingness  on  the  part  of  the  Lord; 
the  unwillingness  rests  with  us.  "  If  thou 
wilt!"  That  is  the  challenge  of  the  Master; 
and  the  willing  soul  will  discover  the  Lord  in 
the  innermost  room  of  the  soul. 


XXI 

THE   MORNING   BREEZE 

IN  Walter  Pater's  "  Marius  "  there  is  an 
exquisite  description  of  the  impression 
produced  upon  him  by  his  first  fellowship 
with  a  Christian.  The  Christian  was  Corne- 
lius, a  young  noble,  a  soldier  of  the  Twelfth 
Legion.  "  With  all  the  severity  of  Cornelius 
there  was  (at  the  same  time)  a  breeze  of  hope- 
fulness— freshness  and  hopefulness — as  of  a 
new  morning  about  him."  This  delicate 
phrase,  "  the  breeze  of  morning,"  came  into 
my  mind  as  I  was  reading  Paul's  letter  to 
Timothy,  and  the  account  which  the  great 
apostle  gives  of  the  Helpful  ministry  of  his 
friend  Onesiphorus.  The  Apostle  says,  "  He 
oft  refreshed  me,"  and  the  suggestion  is  that 
of  the  coming  of  a  current  of  fr(  sh  air,  a  re- 
viving coolness  after  heat.  This  obscure  dis- 
ciple was  like  Cornelius  who  ministered  to 
Marius,  and  he  brought  renewal  of  spirits  to 
the  great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  His  was 
the  ministry  of  the  morning  breeze. 

Now  it  is  a  significant  thing  that  the  Apos- 
tle needed  the  refreshment.     He  had  his  sea- 
160 


THE  MORNING  BREEZE         161 

sons  of  fainting  when  the  spirit  grew  dis- 
tressed. What  could  there  be  in  his  life  to 
hold  his  soul  in  gloomy  servitude?  There  is 
no  depression  like  that  which  waits  upon  na- 
tures that  are  intense.  The  passionate  are 
familiar  with  depths  that  are  unknown  to  the 
temperate.  And  Paul,  with  all  his  burning 
enthusiasms,  had  his  moments  of  faintness. 
For  one  reason,  there  was  the  undying  mis- 
trust of  the  ultra-conservative  Jews.  They 
suspected  the  genuineness  of  his  apostleship. 
They  suspected  the  orthodoxy  of  his  message. 
From  end  to  end  of  his  life  this  vigilant  and 
often  malicious  mistrust  hung  around  about 
his  soul.  And  of  all  things  that  can  come  to 
a  messenger  of  Christ,  there  is  nothing  more 
wearing  and  wearying  than  a  spirit  of  mis- 
trust. It  chokes  you.  It  smothers  you.  It 
makes  you  faint. 

And  then,  for  a  second  thing,  there  was  the 
corruption  breaking  out  in  the  young 
Churches  he  had  newly  planted.  To  a  man 
with  high  ideals  these  rude  realities  would  oc- 
casion deep  depression.  I  was  with  a  gar- 
dener a  little  while  ago,  who  was  taking  me 
round  the  garden-beds,  and  pointing  to  one 
little  plot  where  almost  every  flower  seemed 
touched  with  blight,  he  said,  "  It  is  very  dis- 
heartening."    And   when   the    Apostle    Paul 


162    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

looked  over  his  garden  plot  at  Corinth,  and 
saw  how  the  fair  flowers  were  smitten  with 
moral  blight,  he  became  depressed  and  faint. 

And,  thirdly,  there  was  the  contemplation 
of  his  own  slow  progress  in  the  world  of  the 
Spirit.  "  The  prize  of  the  high  calling " 
seemed  far  away,  and  like  more  obscure  dis- 
ciples he  would  sometimes  feel  as  though  the 
journey  were  scarce  begun.  In  the  seventh 
chapter  to  the  Romans  we  have  glimpses  of 
the  Apostle  when  this  mood  was  upon  him, 
and  when  he  needed  all  his  reserves  to  keep 
going.  Well,  in  these  ways  and  in  others,  he 
came  to  times  of  depression  when  his  fainting 
soul  was  in  need  of  refreshment. 

And  in  these  times  of  fainting  God  sent 
His  messenger  with  the  morning  breeze. 
Onesiphorus  was  a  bringer  of  fresh  air  to  the 
faint.  It  is  beautiful  that  an  obscure  disciple 
could  be  the  minister  of  refreshment  to  a  great 
apostle.  The  ventilator  in  a  room  is  often 
an  exceedingly  plain  article,  ungainly,  when 
contrasted  with  more  luxurious  things  around, 
but  it  is  the  medium  of  refreshment,  the  chan- 
nel through  which  the  air  travels,  that  makes 
life  easy  and  pleasant.  And  humble  people 
can  be  the  channels  of  the  heavenly  birth  to 
greater  people  who  are  faint.  Every  minis- 
ter  knows    such    folk    in    his    congregation. 


THE  MORNING  BREEZE         163 

They  are  not  heavily  endowed  with  treasured 
attractions.  They  have  neither  gifts  of  cul- 
ture nor  of  wealth,  but  they  are  makers  of 
atmosphere.  They  make  it  easier  for  other 
people  to  breathe. 

I  wonder  what  windows  Onesiphorus 
opened  to  let  in  the  morning  air  upon  the 
fainting  spirit  of  the  Apostle?  Perhaps  he 
directed  him  to  some  forgotten  promise,  some 
word  stored  with  heavenly  energy  which  the 
great  Apostle  had  forgotten.  When  Bishop 
Butler  was  dying  there  came  a  moment  of 
faintness  over  his  soul,  and  an  obscure  chap- 
lain who  was  in  the  chamber,  whose  name  is 
not  given  to  us,  reminded  the  Bishop  of  some 
dynamic  promise  of  the  Master,  and  his  spirit 
was  refreshed.  Or,  perhaps,  Onesiphorus 
would  mention  to  the  Apostle  some  exploit  in 
his  ministry  of  which  he  had  never  heard: 
"  Let  me  tell  you  what  happened  at  Ephesus 
after  you  had  gone  away.  Let  me  tell  you 
what  happened  to  so-and-so  after  he  had  lis- 
tened to  your  message  about  the  heavenly 
love."  And  Paul  would  listen  and  listen 
until  the  faintness  gave  place  to  hope  and 
quiet  trust.  Or,  perhaps,  again  Onesiphorus 
would  retrace  the  pathway  of  the  Apostle's 
life,  and  point  out  to  him  unremembered  mer- 
cies which  were  scattered  like  flowers  along 


164*    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

the  road;  or  he  would  show  him  how  past  dif- 
ficulties had  been  surmounted  by  the  powers 
of  grace,  or  how  other  seasons  of  depression 
had  been  fruitful  because  the  barren  desert 
was  in  reality  a  garden  of  God.  Or,  once 
again  Onesiphorus  might  dip  into  his  own  his- 
tory and  bring  forth  testimonies  to  the  trium- 
phant power  of  Eternal  Love.  He  would  dif- 
fidently bring  forth  his  own  witnesses,  and  the 
story  would  be  as  morning  air  to  him  who  was 
sick  and  faint. 

Well,  now,  this  kind  of  service  is  the  one 
that  is  most  needed  in  the  Church  of  Christ. 
We  want  people  who  carry  atmosphere  and 
are  ministers  of  refreshment.  And  such  peo- 
ple will  instinctively  go  where  the  ministry  is 
most  required.  It  is  a  beautiful  lineament  in 
the  character  of  Onesiphorus  which  is  given 
in  the  Apostle's  phrase,  "  He  was  not  ashamed 
of  my  chain."  The  great  scholar,  and  con- 
vert, and  saint,  and  apostle  was  held  in  servi- 
tude, but  we  know  what  a  name  he  gave  to 
his  chain.  He  called  it  "  my  bonds  in  Christ." 
He  linked  his  very  servitude  to  the  Lord.  He 
took  his  restrictions,  his  limitations,  his  im- 
pediments, and  surveyed  them  in  their  asso- 
ciation with  the  Christ.  But  a  man's  chain 
often  lessens  the  circle  of  his  friends.  The 
chain  of  poverty  keeps  many  people  away,  and 


THE  MORNING  BREEZE         165 

so  does  the  chain  of  unpopularity.  When  a 
man  is  in  high  repute  he  has  many  friends. 
When  he  begins  to  wear  a  chain  the  friends 
are  apt  to  fall  away.  But  the  ministers  of  the 
morning  breeze  love  to  come  to  the  shades  of 
night.  They  delight  to  minister  in  the  region 
of  despondency,  and  where  the  bonds  lie 
heaviest  upon  the  soul.  "  He  was  not 
ashamed  of  my  chain/'  The  chain  was  really 
an  allurement.  It  gave  speed  to  his  feet  and 
urgency  to  his  ministry. 

And  is  not  this  the  very  friendship  of  the 
Lord  Jesus?  He  is  not  ashamed  of  our 
chains.  When  He  was  with  us  in  the  flesh 
He  amazed  people  by  His  familiarity  with  the 
victims  who  were  held  in  bonds.  "  He  is 
gone  to  be  guest  with  a  man  that  is  a  sinner." 
He  was  not  ashamed  of  his  chain.  "  He 
eateth  and  drinketh  with  publicans  and  sin- 
ners." Their  chains  did  not  repel  Him. 
"  He  remembereth  us  in  our  low  estate."  He 
brings  the  ministry  of  refreshment  to  those 
who  languish  in  prison.  "  He  is  the  Lord  of 
the  morning  to  the  children  of  the  night." 


XXII 
NO  BREATH 

"rip HERE  was  no  breath  in  them." 
There  was  everything  except  breath. 
They  were  perfectly  articulated 
bodies,  but  they  were  devoid  of  inspiration. 
The  organized  bones  were  as  impotent  as 
when  they  lay  scattered  over  the  desolate 
fields,  organization  had  accomplished  nothing. 
The  lack  was  vital.  There  was  an  absence  of 
life. 

And  this,  says  the  prophet,  is  the  symbol 
of  a  common  tragedy  in  the  lives  of  men  and 
nations.  Movements  stop  just  short  of  in- 
spiration. Fine  organizations  have  no  soul. 
There  is  "  noise  "  and  there  is  "  shaking,"  but 
there  is  no  quickening  wind  from  God.  There 
is  combination,  but  no  communion.  Bone 
comes  to  bone,  and  there  are  sinews  and  skin, 
but  there  is  no  air,  no  enlivening  power  from 
the  heart  of  God. 

We  may  find  an  illustration  of  the  prophet's 
symbol  in  the  domain  of  words.  A  dictionary 
is  a  valley  of  dry  bones.  It  is  a  mass  of  dis- 
membered words  scattered  like  dislocated 
166 


NO  BREATH  167 

bones,  every  word  isolated  from  every  other 
word,  lying  there  bleached  and  dry.  Well,  a 
man  thinks  himself  to  be  a  poet,  and  he  comes 
to  the  dictionary,  and  he  begins  to  gather  the 
words  together  "  bone  to  his  bone."  He 
joins  them  in  the  friendliest  concord.  He 
organizes  them  in  metrical  rhymes.  Every 
law  of  grammar  and  metre  and  melody  is  hon- 
oured. The  association  is  sweet  and  soft  and 
orderly  and — dead!  It  is  a  beautiful  corpse, 
but  there  is  no  breath  in  it;  it  jingles,  but  it 
is  not  poetry. 

Or  we  may  go  to  the  verbal  valley  of  dry 
bones,  and  we  may  gather  the  scattered  mem- 
bers together  and  construct  a  prayer,  fitting 
bone  to  bone,  giving  it  sinews  and  covering  it 
with  flesh  and  skin.  And  there  it  is,  a  decent 
orderly  thing,  but  dead !  We  say  our  prayers, 
but  we  do  not  pray.  We  marshal  our  words, 
but  we  do  not  aspire.  We  present  a  corpse 
instead  of  a  breathing.  And  here  is  a  poor 
publican,  with  a  meagre  little  handful  of 
words,  which  he  sobs  out  rather  than  repeats : 
"  Lord,  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner,"  and  "  the 
words  stand  up  an  exceeding  great  army," 
and  they  take  the  kingdom  of  heaven  by  storm. 

Sometimes  we  go  to  the  dictionary,  the  val- 
ley of  dry  bones,  and  we  gather  its  words  to- 
gether to  construct  a  creed.     The  articles  of 


168    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

the  creed  are  most  carefully  shaped  and  fitted 
together  with  exquisite  association.  Word  is 
joined  to  word  in  precise  succession,  and  sen- 
tence linked  with  sentence  in  exact  logical 
agreement.  It  is  strengthened  with  the  sin- 
ews of  philosophy,  and  furnished  with  the 
flesh  and  skin  of  tender  emotion,  and  there  it 
is,  an  organized  statement  of  belief !  And  we 
may  repeat  it  with  the  semblance  of  life. 
There  may  be  a  "  noise  "  and  the  "  shaking,'' 
but  no  inspiration,  no  aspiration,  no  lowly 
confession  of  trust  or  prayer;  and  the  mystic 
unseen  ministers,  who  watch  the  souls  of 
things,  proclaim  the  heavenly  judgment, 
"  there  is  no  breath  in  them."  Another  man 
gropes  for  a  little  handful  of  words,  and  fits 
them  uncertainly  together,  and  stammers  them 
out  before  the  Lord :  "  Lord,  I  believe,  help 
Thou  mine  unbelief."  And  the  Kingdom  is 
taken. 

In  the  Church  that  bears  the  name  of  Christ 
we  may  have  everything  but  the  essential 
thing.  We  may  have  order  and  decency  and 
reverence,  and  the  appearance  of  fraternity. 
Bone  may  come  to  bone,  and  there  may  be  the 
sinews  and  even  the  flesh  and  skin,  and  yet 
there  may  be  no  pervading  breath,  no  myste- 
rious and  unifying  life.  We  may  have  a  con- 
gregation, but  not  a  communion ;  we  may  have 


NO  BREATH  169 

an  assembly,  but  not  an  army;  we  may  have 
a  fellowship  roll,  but  not  of  those  who  are 
counted  alive,  and  whose  names  "  are  written 
in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life."  We  may  be 
just  a  crowd,  and  not  "  the  family  of  the  living 
God." 

We  may  have  prayers,  but  no  prayer.  We 
may  have  petitions,  but  no  real  intercession. 
We  may  have  posture  and  homage,  but  no 
supplication.  We  may  have  exquisite  ritual, 
but  no  holy  worship.  We  may  have  what 
men  call  "  a  finished  service,"  and  yet  there 
may  be  nothing  of  the  violence  of  a  vital  faith. 
We  may  have  benevolences,  but  no  sacrifice. 
We  may  have  the  appearance  of  service,  but 
no  shedding  of  blood.  The  Church  may  be 
only  an  organized  corpse. 

But  when  the  breath  comes,  how  then? 
The  breath  of  God  converts  an  organization 
into  an  organism,  it  transforms  a  combination 
into  a  fellowship,  a  congregation  into  a 
church,  a  mob  into  an  army.  That  breath 
came  into  a  little  disciple-band,  a  band  that 
was  worm-eaten  by  envy  and  jealousy,  and 
weakened  by  timidity  and  fear,  and  it  changed 
it  into  a  spiritual  army  that  could  not  be 
checked  or  hindered  by  "  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  devil."  And  when  the  same  breath 
of  God  comes  into  a  man  of  "  parts,"  a  man 


170    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

of  many  faculties  and  talents,  sharpened  by 
culture,  drilled  and  organized  by  discipline,  it 
endows  him  with  the  veritable  power  of  an 
army  and  makes  him  irresistible.  "  And 
Peter  rilled  with  the  holy  breath !  "  How  can 
we  compute  the  value  and  the  significance  and 
the  power  of  that  unifying  association? 
Peter  himself  becomes  an  army,  "  an  army  of 
the  living  God."  If  the  Church  were  filled 
with  men  of  such  glorious  spiritual  endow- 
ment, what  would  be  the  tale  of  exploits,  what 
new  chapters  would  be  added  to  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles? 


XXIII 

BLINDING  THE  MIND 

THERE  is  a  phrase  of  the  Apostle  Paul 
which  contains  a  warning  peculiarly 
relevant  to  the  times  through  which 
we  are  passing.  It  is  this :  "  The  god  of  this 
world  hath  blinded  the  minds/'  What  is  the 
significance  of  the  phrase,  "  The  god  of  this 
world"?  Here  is  a  certain  evil  influence  per- 
sonified. A  certain  immoral  energy  or  con- 
tagion is  conceived  and  presented  as  an  active, 
aggressive,  personal  force,  which  deliberately 
seeks  to  dwarf,  and  bruise,  and  lame  the 
richly-dowered  souls  of  men.  He  is  else- 
where depicted  as  of  princely  line,  with  impos- 
ing retinues  and  armies,  moving  stealthily 
amid  human  affairs,  and  inciting  men  to  re- 
bellion against  the  holy  sovereignty  of  God. 
He  is  represented  as  "  the  prince  of  the  powers 
of  the  air,"  subtle  and  persuasive  as  an  atmos- 
phere, insinuating  himself  into  the  most  sacred 
privacies  and  invading  even  the  most  holy 
place.  He  is  "  the  god  of  this  world,"  re- 
ceiving homage  and  worship,  the  god  to  whom 
countless  thousands  offer  ceaseless  sacrifice, 
171 


172    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

while  the  holy  Lord  of  grace  and  glory  is 
neglected  or  defied.  I  am  not  now  concerned 
with  this  personification,  whether  it  be  literal- 
istic  or  merely  figurative;  but  I  am  concerned 
with  the  reality  of  the  power  itself,  whose  se- 
ductive energy  corrupts  our  holiest  treasures, 
and  blunts  and  spoils  the  finest  perceptions  of 
the  soul. 

Now,  everybody  is  familiar  with  the  charac- 
teristics of  this  destructive  ministry.  There 
is  no  need  of  abstruse  or  hair-splitting  analy- 
sis. The  issues  are  obtrusive;  we  have  only 
to  examine  our  own  souls  and  their  beset- 
ments,  and  the  peril  is  revealed.  We  may 
have  dropped  the  personification,  but  we  rec- 
ognize the  energy  which  is  personified.  We 
may  have  abandoned  the  figure,  but  we  are  fa- 
miliar with  the  thing.  We  may  no  longer 
speak  of  "  the  god  of  this  world,"  but  "  world- 
liness  "  itself  is  palpable  and  rampant.  This 
is  our  modern  phraseology.  We  speak  of 
"  the  worldly  "  and  "  the  unworldly/'  but  un- 
fortunately the  terms  are  very  loosely  and  in- 
definitely used,  or  used  with  a  quite  perverse 
significance.  The  "  unworldly  "  is  too  often 
identified  with  the  "  other-worldly,"  and  is  in- 
terpreted as  an  austere  isolation  from  all  fes- 
tivity, and  from  the  hard,  hand-soiling  con- 
cerns of  practical  life.    And  on  the  other 


BLINDING  THE  MIND  173 

hand,  "  worldliness "  is  too  often  identified 
with  gaiety,  or  levity,  or  prodigality,  with 
drink  and  pride,  with  theatrical  glamour  and 
vulgar  sheen.  But  these  interpretations  do 
not  touch  the  heart  of  the  matter.  What, 
then,  is  worldliness?  Worldliness  is  life 
without  ideals,  life  without  moral  vistas,  life 
devoid  of  poetic  vision.  It  is  life  without  the 
halo,  life  without  the  mystic  nimbus  which  in- 
vests it  with  venerable  and  awful  sanctity.  It 
is  imprisonment  within  the  material,  no  win- 
dows opening  out  upon  ethereal,  moral,  or 
altruistic  ends.  It  is  the  five  senses  without 
the  moral  sense.  It  is  quickness  to  appetite 
and  dulness  to  conscience.  It  is  engrossment 
in  sensations,  it  is  heedlessness  to  God's  "  aw- 
ful rose  of  dawn."     It  is  rank  materialism. 

Now  this  powerful  contagion  operates  in 
the  deprivation  of  sight.  Materialism  and 
moral  blindness  stand  in  the  relation  of  cause 
and  effect.  "  The  god  of  this  world  hath 
blinded  the  minds."  That  is  to  say,  a  prac- 
tical materialism  destroys  the  eyes  of  the  soul. 
The  materialistic  life  deadens  the  conscience, 
and  in  the  long  run  puts  it  to  death.  The  ma- 
terialistic life  stupefies  the  imagination,  and 
in  the  long  run  makes  it  inoperative.  The 
materialistic  life  defiles  the  affections,  and 
converts  their  crystalline  lens  into  a  minister 


174.    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

of  darkness  and  night.  The  materialistic  life 
coarsens  the  spiritual  instincts,  and  renders 
them  non-appreciative  of  things  unseen.  And 
so  it  is  with  all  the  vision-powers  of  life;  a 
practical  materialism  plugs  or  scales  them  and 
makes  the  spirit  blind. 

But  I  will  still  further  narrow  the  inter- 
pretation, and  confine  this  article  to  that 
aspect  of  worldliness  which  is  concerned 
with  the  bare  pursuit  of  material  gain.  If 
"  the  god  of  this  world "  must  be  given  a 
single  name,  let  the  name  be  Mammon,  and 
let  the  love  of  money  be  the  worship  which 
is  offered  at  his  shrine.  And  does  the  god 
of  money  blind  the  mind?  Let  it  get  into 
the  pulpit,  and  everybody  knows  the  result. 
The  spiritual  heavens  become  opaque,  and 
there  is  no  awe-inspiring  discernment  of 
"  things  unseen."  Everybody  recognizes  its 
destructiveness  in  the  ministry,  but  everybody 
does  not  equally  recognize  the  destructiveness 
in  other  lives  and  other  professions.  But  the 
moral  issues  are  one  and  the  same ;  always  and 
everywhere  the  god  of  money  blinds  the  mind. 

Let  me  give  a  Scriptural  illustration  of  its 
nefarious  work.  A  woman,  who  had  been 
spiritually  enfranchised  by  the  Lord,  and  who 
had  been  led  out  of  the  dreary,  wan  land  of  sin 
into  the  fair,  bright  lily-land  of  God's  eternal 


BLINDING  THE  MIND  175 

peace,  brought  an  alabaster  box  of  ointment, 
very  precious,  and  anointed  her  Deliverer's 
feet.  And  there  was  one  standing  by,  who 
looked  upon  it  with  uninspired  and  unillu- 
mined  eyes,  and  said,  "To  what  purpose  is 
this  waste?"  .  .  .  "This  he  said  .  .  . 
because  he  was  a  thief,  and  carried  the  bag! " 
He  was  the  victim  of  the  god  of  money,  and 
he  was  blind,  and  he  could  see  no  beauty  or 
grace  in  this  passionate  love-offering  of  an 
emancipated  child  of  God.  There  was  noth- 
ing winsome  about  the  woman  that  he  should 
commend  her;  and,  more  than  that,  when  he 
looked  upon  the  woman's  Lord  there  was  "  no 
beauty  "  that  he  should  desire  Him !  "  What 
will  ye  give  me,  and  I  will  deliver  Him  unto 
you?  And  they  covenanted  with  him  for 
thirty  pieces  of  silver."  And  for  that  "  thirty 
pieces  of  silver  "  he  sold  his  Lord !  May  we 
not  add,  "  the  god  of  this  world  *  had  blinded 
his  mind? 

But  there  is  no  need  for  us  to  go  back  to 
those  remote  days  for  illustration  of  the  truth. 
Every  succeeding  century  has  abounded  in 
confirmation  of  its  truth.  But  let  me  confine 
myself  to  witnesses  from  modern  history.  I 
know  of  no  more  shameful  page  in  the  history 
of  our  country  than  the  page  which  tells  the 
story  of  our  early  demeanour  in  the  Ameri- 


176    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

can  Civil  War.  The  North  was  valorously 
intent  upon  lifting  the  tyranny  of  the  South, 
and  letting  the  bond-slave  free.  And  vast 
multitudes  of  our  people  sympathized  with  the 
callous  and  slave-holding  South,  and  ranged 
themselves  in  bitter  antagonism  to  the  chival- 
rous North.  And  what  was  the  explanation? 
Just  this,  they  were  unable  to  see  the  interests 
of  humanity  because  of  their  interests  in  cot- 
ton. They  couldn't  see  the  slave  for  the  dol- 
lar, or  they  saw  him  only  as  a  chattel  to  be 
despised.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  came  over  to 
expostulate  with  our  countrymen,  and  to  seek 
to  open  their  eyes.  He  came  here  to  plead  for 
the  slaves — those  slaves  unveiled  to  us  in  the 
bleeding  pages  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  He 
came  to  Liverpool.  Now  listen  to  a  contem- 
porary document  and  you  will  think  you  are 
reading  the  Press  of  the  past  few  weeks.  "  It 
would  be  impossible  for  tongue  or  pen  ade- 
quately to  describe  the  scenes  at  the  meet- 
ing. The  great  hall  was  packed  to  the  crush- 
ing point.  The  mob  was  out  in  force.  The 
interruptions  were  incessant:  cat-calls,  groans, 
and  hisses."  And  at  what  part  of  the  meeting 
did  the  disorder  culminate?  It  was  when 
Beecher,  bit  by  bit,  got  out  these  sentences  and 
rammed  them  home :  "  When  I  was  twelve 
years  old,  my  father  hired  Charles  Smith,  a 


BLINDING  THE  MIND  177 

man  as  black  as  lamp-black,  to  work  on  his 
farm.  I  slept  with  him  in  the  same  room. 
(Oh!  oh!)  Ah,  that  don't  suit  you.  (Up- 
roar.) I  ate  with  him  at  the  same  table;  I 
sang  with  him  out  of  the  same  hymn-book;  I 
cried  when  he  prayed  over  me  at  night;  and  if 
I  had  serious  impressions  of  religion  early  in 
life,  they  were  due  to  the  fidelity  and  example 
of  that  poor,  humble  farm-labourer,  black 
Charles  Smith.  (Tremendous  uproar.)  " 
What  think  you  of  the  significance  of  that  up- 
roar? They  saw  no  moral  dignity  in  Charles 
Smith  that  they  should  desire  him.  That  Liv- 
erpool mob  could  not  see  the  slave  because 
they  were  so  intent  upon  the  dollar. 

Read  the  chivalrous  history  of  the  good 
Lord  Shaftesbury.  In  his  early  manhood, 
when  he  began  his  noble  crusade  of  emanci- 
pation, women  and  girls  were  employed  in 
coal-mines,  as  beasts  of  burden.  Their  condi- 
tion haunted  him,  and  became  a  nightmare 
which  possessed  him  day  and  night,  and  he 
set  about  to  ameliorate  their  lot.  He  sought 
to  prohibit  their  employment.  With  what 
result?  The  mine-owners  were  up  and  in 
arms.  "  It  spells  ruin  to  our  trade ! " 
They  could  not  see  the  degradation  for  the 
gold.  They  feared  a  shrinking  purse  more 
than  a  shrunken  womanhood.     They  could  not 


178    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

see  the  woman  for  the  bank.  But  Lord 
Ashley  disregarded  their  cries,  and  at  length 
he  had  the  supreme  happiness  of  putting 
a  stop  to  this  infamous  sort  of  labour  by 
an  act  which  declared  that,  after  a  certain 
limited  period,  no  woman  or  girl  should  ever 
again  be  employed  in  our  collieries  and  mines. 
When  Queen  Victoria  came  to  the  throne, 
a  dispute  with  China  was  developing  into  a 
very  ugly  menace.  Soon  after  it  broke  out 
into  open  war.  And  what  did  we  fight  about  ? 
We  fought  for  the  right  of  Great  Britain  to 
force  a  destructive  trade  upon  a  people  who 
did  not  want  it,  in  spite  of  the  protestations  of 
its  government,  and  in  spite  of  all  such  na- 
tional opinion  as  could  find  a  public  expres- 
sion. There  was  money  in  it  for  Britain, 
there  was  revenue  in  it  for  India,  and  there- 
fore China  had  got  to  have  it!  It  is  China's 
burden,  China's  curse,  China's  appalling  woe, 
and  still  we  force  it  on  her.  And  the  explana- 
tion is  clear.  We  cannot  see  the  evil  for  the 
revenue.  We  cannot  see  the  wasting  victim 
for  the  swelling  exchequer.  Some  day  Britain 
will  get  the  gold-dust  out  of  her  eyes,  and 
then  she  will  see — she  will  see  the  reeking 
opium  dens,  and  the  emaciated  manhood,  and 
the  devastated  families,  and  the  blighted  race, 
and  in  her  shame  she  will  wash  her  hands  of 


BLINDING  THE  MIND  179 

the  traffic,  and  decree  the  emancipation  of  a 
people.     At  present,  money  plugs  the  eyes. 

And  there  is  very  great  need  that  in  our 
own  day  we  deliver  ourselves  from  the  servi- 
tude of  this  mammon.  In  our  day,  when  the 
Spirit  of  God  is  at  work  in  our  midst,  inciting 
dissatisfaction  and  unrest,  and  creating  a  fer- 
ment among  the  peoples,  our  vision  and  our 
sympathy  can  be  dulled  and  checked  by  the 
common  love  of  money.  The  peril  is  in- 
sidious, and  it  invades  even  the  most  holy 
place.  The  spirit  of  greed  dwells  not  alone 
among  the  wealthy  and  the  well-to-do,  it  can 
make  its  home  with  people  of  slender  means. 
What  we  need,  above  all  things,  is  to  have  our 
eyes  anointed  with  the  eye-salve  of  grace,  that 
so  our  vision  may  be  single  and  simple,  and 
we  may  have  the  mind  of  Christ.  What  we 
need  is  unsealed  sight,  and  with  unsealed  sight 
there  will  come  fresh  and  healthy  sympathies, 
and  an  eager  participation  in  every  chivalrous 
crusade. 


XXIV 
THE   SOUL   IN  THE   MARKET 

I  USE  these  words,  "The  Soul  in  the 
Market,"  to  characterize  the  second 
temptation  of  our  Lord.  Here  is  a  soul 
face  to  face  with  the  supreme  enemy  of  souls. 
The  enemy  of  souls  creates  in  life  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  market.  He  proposes  a  transac- 
tion in  the  nature  of  an  exchange.  He  sug- 
gests a  bargain  and  makes  an  offer.  What 
are  the  terms?  What  does  he  offer?  "The 
kingdoms  of  the  world  and  the  glory  of 
them."  What  does  he  ask  in  return?  The 
worship  and  service  of  the  soul.  "  If  Thou 
wilt  fall  down  and  worship  me."  That  is  to 
say,  he  offers  a  temporality  and  demands  a 
spirituality.  He  offers  a  reputation  and  de- 
mands a  character.  He  offers  a  great 
"  spread,"  but  insists  upon  a  stooping  soul. 
He  offers  a  show  of  liberty,  but  his  terms  are 
spiritual  servitude.  He  offers  possessions, 
but  the  price  is  degradation.  He  proposes  a 
profitable  exchange,  and  for  the  treasures  of 
the  soul  he  offers  the  treasures  of  the  world. 
Make  him  supreme  monarch  in  the  empire  of 
180 


THE  SOUL  IN  THE  MARKET    181 

the  soul,  and  he  will  make  us  kings  in  material 
domains.  That  is  the  essential  bargain.  The 
soul  is  in  the  market  in  Vanity  Fair. 

Let  us  inspect  the  character  of  the  tempta- 
tion a  little  more  closely.  The  air  was  filled 
with  the  rumour  of  a  coming  king  and  of  the 
restoration  of  kingdoms.  Everywhere  was 
the  sense  of  thrill  and  expectancy.  Men's 
eyes  were  scouring  the  horizon  for  one  that 
should  come.  And  now  excitement  was  in- 
tensified, for  there  had  appeared  by  the  Jordan 
a  desert  prophet  with  the  old  authoritative 
word  and  mien,  proclaiming  the  news  of  the 
King's  coming,  and  the  Kingdom  of  God  was 
at  hand.  The  King  had  left  His  palace !  He 
was  on  the  road !  "  Prepare  ye  the  way  of 
the  Lord." 

And  what  did  they  expect  to  see?  They 
looked  for  a  king  who  should  be  clothed  in  the 
mysteries  of  unshared  powers,  before  whom 
the  kingdoms  of  the  world  would  lie  prostrate 
in  awed  and  affrighted  obeisance.  He  was  to 
be  a  sort  of  Prospero,  with  invisible  Ariels  at 
his  command,  going  forth  on  his  decrees  to 
charm  or  to  paralyze,  to  bind  or  to  free.  The 
coming  king  would  set  up  the  throne  of  his 
glory  in  Jerusalem,  the  place  of  his  presence 
would  make  the  grandeur  of  empires  sombre; 
he  would  have  his  feet  upon  the  neck  of  kings, 


182    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

and  he  would  lay  their  valiant  ones  in  the  dust. 
"Then  cometh  Jesus,  and  the  devil  taketh 
Him  into  an  exceeding  high  mountain,  and 
showed  Him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world, 
and  the  glory  of  them,  and  said  unto  Him, 
All  these  things  will  I  give  Thee,  if  Thou 
wilt  fall  down  and  worship  me." 

Let  us  mark  the  subtlety  of  the  snare. 
Think  how  much  the  young  Nazarene  might 
accomplish  by  the  possession  of  a  carnal  rule. 
He  could  ride  abroad  redressing  human 
wrongs.  He  could  strike  the  weapon  from 
the  hand  of  the  oppressor.  He  could  destroy 
the  tyranny  of  iniquitous  taxation.  He  could 
lighten  the  burden  of  the  poor.  The  sov- 
ereignty of  kingdoms  would  give  Him  the 
ministry  of  freedom,  and  wherever  men  were 
in  servitude,  He  could  lead  them  into  glorious 
liberty.  "  All  these  things  will  I  give  Thee !  " 
What  are  the  terms  of  the  exchange?  "If 
Thou  wilt  fall  down  and  worship  me."  The 
devil  is  seeking  his  exchanges  in  the  region 
of  the  soul.  He  is  seeking  them  in  the  realm 
of  spiritual  homage  and  posture,  in  the  se- 
cret place  of  worship  and  ideal.  "  Alter  thy 
soul  posture.  Readjust  thy  secret  homage. 
Change  thy  spiritual  inclinations.  Dilute  the 
stringency  of  thy  holiness.  Change  thy  heav- 
enly principles  for  loose  expediencies.     Change 


THE  SOUL  IN  THE  MARKET    183 

thy  impossible  ideals  for  working  compro- 
mises. Change  thy  clear,  straight  sight  for 
winks  and  nods  and  wiles.  Change  thy  se- 
rene wisdom  for  sharp  subtlety.  Change  thy 
unvarnished  truth  for  the  oil  of  flattery. 
Make  more  of  appearances.  Let  life  be  more 
a  game,  a  scheme,  an  artifice,  and  less  of  an 
exalted  crusade.  "  All  these  things  I  will 
give  thee,"  if  thou  wilt  only  play  my  game. 
Thou  shalt  appoint  the  goal,  but  mine  shall  be 
the  way  to  reach  it.  Thine  shall  be  the  end, 
but  mine  shall  be  the  means."  Such  were  the 
terms  of  the  proposed  exchange. 

And  the  answer?  The  Master's  answer 
came  sharp,  immediate,  peremptory,  and  abso- 
lute: "Get  thee  behind  Me,  Satan!"  Our 
Master  would  not  change  the  inclination  of 
His  soul  by  the  shadow  of  a  turning.  He 
would  not  deflect  His  steps  by  a  hair's  breadth 
from  the  path  of  holiness  and  truth.  To  gain 
kingdoms  and  the  glory  of  them  He  would  not 
haul  down  the  holy  flag  waving  on  the  citadel 
of  His  soul.  He  would  not  worship  in  the 
house  of  Rimmon.  He  would  not  wipe  out 
the  Ten  Commandments  and  write  ten  com- 
promises in  their  place.  He  would  not  ex- 
change the  fair,  clear,  sunny  ideals  of  the 
Divine  hills  for  the  will-o'-the-wisps  of  "  the 
world  and  the  flesh  and  the  devil."     ".Get 


184    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

thee  behind  Me,  Satan,  for  it  is  written  thou 
shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  Him 
only  shalt  thou  serve." 

Let  no  one  imagine  that  with  the  defeat  of 
this  temptation  the  same  temptation  never  re- 
turned. If  I  interpret  the  Master's  life 
aright,  the  temptation  returned  again  and 
again,  with  precisely  the  same  enticements,  al- 
ways changing  its  attire,  but  always  with  the 
same  motive,  and  armed  with  the  same  de- 
structive quest.  The  Lord  was  always  being 
tempted  to  use  illicit  means  in  the  interests  of 
the  heavenly  kingdom,  to  take  forbidden  ways 
to  apparently  legitimate  ends.  We  have  an 
instance  of  the  return  of  the  temptation  when 
He  was  enticed  by  His  own  brethren  to  wor- 
ship at  the  loud,  garish  altar  of  egotism  and 
self -display.  "If  Thou  do  these  things,  show 
Thyself  to  the  world."  Copy  the  ways  of  the 
world  and  make  a  noise !  Advertise  Thyself ! 
He  would  have  none  of  it.  "  He  shall  not 
strive  nor  cry,  neither  shall  any  man  hear  His 
voice  in  the  street." 

There  is  a  further  example  of  the  return 
when  Simon  Peter  sought  to  entice  his  Lord 
to  take  the  easy  road  and  to  seek  His  throne 
by  the  flowery  path  of  comfort.  "  Then 
Peter  took  Him  and  began  to  rebuke  Him, 
saying,  This  shall  not  be  unto  Thee."    And 


THE  SOUL  IN  THE  MARKET    185 

the  Lord  again  answered  with  the  sharp  re- 
sponse He  made  to  the  first  temptation,  "  Get 
thee  behind  Me,  Satan."  Christ  would  have 
no  illicit  compromises.  He  would  make  no 
bargains  with  indolence.  He  would  offer  no 
incense  at  the  altar  of  worldly  wisdom.  "  He 
set  His  face  steadfastly  to  go  to  Jerusalem,', 
and  He  walked  the  thorny,  flinty  road  to  Cal- 
vary and  the  Cross,  and  this  was  His  one  re- 
sponse to  all  alluring  besetments  by  the  way: 
"  Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and 
Him  only  shalt  thou  serve." 


XXV 
TERMINUS   AND  THOROUGHFARE 

ONE  of  the  most  deadly  temptations  in 
life  is  to  mistake  a  thoroughfare  for 
a  terminus,  and  to  regard  what  is  in- 
tended to  be  a  means  as  an  ultimate  end. 
When  we  make  a  material  thing  a  terminus 
we  only  exist;  when  we  make  the  material  a 
thoroughfare  to  the  spiritual  we  begin  to  live. 
And,  therefore,  one  of  the  determining  ques- 
tions in  life,  where  subtle  snares  abound,  is 
this:  Shall  the  material  be  a  terminus  or  a 
thoroughfare,  a  goal  or  a  passage,  a  means  or 
an  end  ?  Shall  we  seek  to  live  "  by  bread 
alone,"  or,  using  bread  as  a  subordinate 
means,  shall  we  find  our  true  life  in  the  un- 
seen? And  here  is  the  Saviour's  answer. 
We  live  not  in  material  things  or  in  material 
quests,  but  in  Divine  relations.  "  This  is  life, 
to  know  Thee."  By  "  bread  alone  "  the  body 
can  exist;  man  needs  the  bread  of  the  world; 
he  can  only  live  by  the  hidden  manna  of 
Divine  communion. 

Consider  the  reach  of  this  principle  in  the 

light  of  one  or  two  of  its  multitudinous  appli- 
186 


TERMINUS  AND  THOROUGHFARE    187 

cations.  Apply  the  principle  to  nature,  to  our 
association  with  the  wonders  of  the  natural 
world.  Our  temptation  is  to  dwell  on  the  ma- 
terial side  of  nature,  and  never  apprehend  the 
spiritual  significance  of  the  Divine  world.  We 
stop  at  "  bread  " ;  we  do  not  push  through  to 
God.  There  is  a  type  of  man  to  whom  nature 
makes  no  sort  of  refined  appeal.  He  seems  to 
be  insensible  to  its  presence.  His  powers  are 
held  in  a  kind  of  benumbment.  There  is  a 
second  type  of  man  who  discovers  in  nature 
higher  ministries  of  physical  inspiration  and 
delight.  His  senses  are  gratified.  He  is 
charmed  by  the  play  of  colour,  he  is  fascinated 
by  the  minstrelsy  of  song,  he  is  exhilarated  by 
the  delicacies  of  flavour  and  perfume.  There 
is  a  third  type  of  man  who  rises  to  an  aesthetic 
appreciation  of  nature.  He  exercises  artistic 
and  poetic  discernment.  Imagination  is  now 
at  work,  and  delicate  fancy,  and  a  world  of 
romance  is  unveiled.  Idylls  are  born  and 
lyrics  are  sung.  But  there  is  a  fourth  type  of 
man  who  has  a  spiritual  apprehension  of  na- 
ture, who  holds  communion  with  its  spiritual 
world,  who  uses  it  as  a  thoroughfare  to  the 
Divine,  who  passes  by  its  "bread,"  giving 
thanks  for  the  bread,  to  find  the  true  signifi- 
cance in  God.  He  moves  with  awed  and 
wondering  soul  through  "  the  light  of  setting 


188    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

suns  "  to  "  the  light  that  never  was  on  sea  or 
land,"  and  through  the  apocalypse  of  the 
changing  clouds  to  "  the  rainbow  round  about 
the  throne."  The  outer  bread  conducts  him 
to  the  hidden  manna,  and  behind  the  world  of 
the  senses  he  discovers  the  world  invisible,  in- 
corruptible, and  full  of  glory. 

Let  us  further  apply  the  principle  to  our 
conception  of  history.  It  is  possible  to  ap- 
proach history  and  to  abide  in  its  outer  courts ; 
it  is  possible  to  go  further,  and  in  history  to 
find  "  the  Word  of  God."  We  may  have  a 
materialistic  conception  of  history,  and  when 
we  survey  its  crowded  procession  we  may  see 
only  the  contention  of  material  forces,  and  in 
its  changing  triumphs  we  may  see  only  the 
changing  ascendency  of  the  brute.  We  may 
have  a  spiritual  conception  of  history,  and  be- 
hind all  its  perspiring  tumults  and  noise  and 
armies  and  brutal  riot  and  disorder  we  may 
discern  a  spiritual  presence  and  hear  a  ghostly 
word,  the  word  "  proceeding  from  the  mouth 
of  God."  In  my  own  schooldays  the  learning 
of  history  was  the  memorizing  of  bald  and  in- 
nutritious  dates,  or  we  were  ceaselessly  watch- 
ing the  glamour  and  pageantry  of  kings  and 
queens,  or  we  were  following  the  doings  of 
armies  and  gazing  upon  rivers  of  blood. 
Since   those  days  our  attitude  towards  history 


TERMINUS  AND  THOROUGHFARE    189 

has  changed.  We  are  not  so  much  concerned 
with  the  flittings  of  monarchs  as  with  the 
movements  of  peoples,  not  with  the  life  of  the 
palace  but  with  happenings  in  the  cottage,  not 
with  the  growth  of  armies  but  with  the  growth 
of  freedom. 

But  even  with  this  revived  attitude  we  are 
still  outside  the  temple,  and  may  still  be 
tempted  to  abide  in  its  material  and  social 
passages,  and  not  press  through  to  God. 
What  is  God  saying  in  history?  What  is 
"  the  word  proceeding  from  the  mouth  of 
God  "  ?  What  is  He  saying  in  the  history  of 
the  empires  of  the  ancient  world?  What  is 
the  speech  of  events?  What  is  the  clearly 
defined  word  of  results  and  destiny?  In  this 
way  we  are  to  press  through  the  garish  shows 
of  things,  past  the  sheen  and  the  pain  and  the 
blood,  and  we  are  to  listen  to  the  eternal  word 
of  the  living  God. 

But  the  principle  may  not  only  be  applied 
to  the  history  of  nations  but  to  the  record  of 
the  individual  life.  What  is  the  Divine  word 
in  my  own  past  life?  Let  me  get  through  to 
that.  I  shall  be  tempted  to  take  an  unspiritual 
view  of  my  own  past.  I  shall  be  inclined  to 
fix  upon  its  cleverness,  or  its  want  of  clever- 
ness, or  its  fortune,  or  its  misfortune,  its  luck, 
or  its  chance.     I  shall  be  foolish  to  stop  there. 


190    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

It  is  the  way  of  wisdom  to  push  through  the 
material,  the  outer  furniture  and  equipment, 
and  to  get  into  the  secret  room  and  hear  "  the 
word  proceeding  from  the  mouth  of  God." 
What  does  He  say  to  us  through  our  yester- 
days ?  "  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear  let  him 
hear." 

So  have  I  tried  to  show  how  the  principle 
may  be  applied  to  nature  and  to  history.  It 
might  be  similarly  applied  to  ordinary  duty,  to 
its  outer  halls  and  its  inspired  secrets ;  to  com- 
mon work,  its  outer  form  and  its  spiritual  sig- 
nificance. Indeed,  the  principle  has  range  of 
application  to  all  the  manifold  relations  and 
interests  of  human  life.  Everywhere  we  are 
tempted  to  make  a  terminus  of  what  was  in- 
tended to  be  a  thoroughfare,  to  stop  at 
"  bread,"  and  not  get  through  to  God.  We 
are  snared  to  stop  at  the  material,  the  formal, 
the  ritualistic,  the  symbolic,  and  we  thereby 
miss  the  life  indeed,  and  the  heavenly  bread 
that  alone  sustains  it.  We  are  enticed  to  re- 
main in  the  outer  halls  of  being,  and  we  miss 
the  secret  room  where  is  set  the  appointed 
feast. 

The  snare  is  about  us  when  we  meet  for 
worship.  We  meet  as  immortal  souls.  The 
enemy  of  souls  is  present  to  entice  the  immor- 
tal to  be  satisfied  with  the  material,  the  formal, 


TERMINUS  AND  THOROUGHFARE    191 

the  musical,  the  sensational,  with  the  rites  and 
rubrics  of  worship,  and  to  have  no  concern 
for  a  personal  communion  with  God.  He 
seeks  to  make  us  contented  with  forms  and 
postures,  to  make  the  hymn  and  the  anthem 
and  the  sermon  a  terminus  and  not  a  highway 
by  which  we  find  "  the  secret  place  of  the 
Most  High."  It  is  our  daily  wisdom  to  have 
the  snare  in  mind,  and  to  reject  all  entice- 
ments that  keep  us  from  our  rightful  inherit- 
ance in  the  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus. 


XXVI 
THE  DESTRUCTION  AT  NOONTIDE 

THERE  is  a  peril  in  the  garish  day. 
There  are  destructive  things  that  are 
only  bred  in  the  long-continued  splen- 
dour. They  awake  and  prowl  about  in  the 
noon.  In  the  deep  shadows  of  the  deeper 
night  they  sleep  in  impotence.  "It  is  the 
bright  day  that  brings  forth  the  adder."  A 
summer  of  unbroken  sunshine  is  not  the  in- 
vincible guardian  of  the  public  health.  It 
favours  some  forms  of  disease.  It  may  gen- 
erate a  lassitude  which  gives  disease  its 
chance.  The  glare  may  become  the  ally  of 
infirmity. 

And  now  I  can  see  the  significance  of  the 
psalmist's  words,  "  the  destruction  that  wast- 
eth  at  noonday."  A  secret  consumption  may 
make  its  home  in  the  realm  of  the  sunbeam. 
Our  radiant  successes  may  house  our  most 
awful  foes.  Our  prosperity  may  be  like  some 
sun-drenched  realm  in  the  tropics — the  hunt- 
ing-ground of  the  plague.  It  may  be  we  were 
safer  in  the  grey,  chill  twilight  of  precarious- 
ness  and  uncertainty  than  we  are  in  the  steady 
192 


DESTRUCTION  AT  NOONTIDE     193 

brightness  of  a  cloudless  noon.  We  were, 
perhaps,  more  secure  when  a  little  fear  was 
in  our  life  than  we  are  when  the  last  shadow 
of  care  has  melted  away. 

Now  what  perils  are  these  which  hide  them- 
selves in  the  brightness  of  noon?  What  ene- 
mies emerge  in  our  prosperity?  I  think  that 
one  of  the  first  perils  of  the  noontide  is  the 
eclipse  of  the  spiritual  relations  of  life.  The 
sunniest  days  are  not  the  best  for  the  discern- 
ment of  far  distances.  There  is  a  haze  in  the 
fierce  light  that  veils  the  remote  horizon.  And 
when  our  life  attains  to  its  burning  noon  we 
are  apt  to  lose  the  land  that  is  very  far  off. 
The  large  relationships  of  things  are  eclipsed. 
Our  eyes  are  lured  from  the  further  issues, 
life's  ultimate  goals.  We  become  the  prison- 
ers of  the  immediate  hour.  The  things  of 
sense  hem  us  round  about,  and  the  transient 
becomes  our  all.  It  is  amazingly  difficult  to 
keep  sight  and  hold  of  the  eternal  when  the 
immediate  hour  is  so  brilliant.  The  very 
pomp  of  success  seems  big  enough  to  satisfy, 
and  we  do  not  want  the  long  vision  of  the 
things  that  endure.  And  thus  we  lose  them. 
And  yet  we  are  so  mesmerized  by  the  present 
glare  that  we  are  not  conscious  of  the  loss.  I 
have  seen  a  child  so  fascinated  by  a  glittering 
toy  that  its  mother  could  leave  the  room  and 


194?    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

never  be  missed.  That  is  a  subtle  peril  of 
life's  brilliant  noon.  We  may  become  so  ab- 
sorbed as  not  to  miss  the  God  we  have  lost. 
The  glitter  of  gold  can  make  us  forget  the 
glory  of  God.  Some  earthly  prize  dazzles  us, 
and  "  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus  "  is  blurred.  And  all  this  is  "  the 
destruction  that  wasteth  at  noonday." 

Another  great  peril  of  our  noontide  is  a 
narrowing  of  the  sympathies.  In  the  fierce 
glare  of  summer  the  rivers  shrink  in  their 
beds.  And  in  the  sunny  season  of  triumph 
and  prosperity  the  streams  of  our  sympathy 
are  apt  to  grow  scanty  as  in  a  time  of  drought. 
Cloudy,  rainy  days  refresh  the  springs.  Sor- 
rows keep  the  emotions  moist  and  fluent.  De- 
feat makes  us  very  sympathetic.  The  obitu- 
ary columns  have  a  new  significance  when  our 
own  family  has  written  a  record  there.  We 
look  at  a  cripple  with  new  eyes  when  one  of 
our  own  is  lame.  But  when  no  clouds  have 
passed  across  our  sky  we  are  very  prone  to 
lose  communion  with  the  children  of  night. 
At  any  rate,  that  is  our  peril.  When  we  are 
prosperous  we  become  encased  with  pride,  and 
pride  is  a  non-conductor,  and  the  vibrations 
that  beat  upon  us  from  the  gloomy  house  of 
sorrow  are  never  perceived.  We  can  become 
"past  feeling,"  and  lose  our  correspondence 


DESTRUCTION  AT  NOONTIDE     195 

with  our  fellow-men.  The  noonday  may  be 
a  minister  of  alienation  between  man  and  man. 

And  a  third  peril  of  the  noonday  is  what 
George  Adam  Smith  calls  "  the  atheism  of 
force."  The  successful  man  is  prone  to  mag- 
nify might  without  reference  to  right;  car- 
nal power  becomes  the  treasure  to  be  desired. 
Success  is  life's  end,  and  success  is  its  own 
justification.  Be  like  a  cow !  Trample  down 
a  thousand  wild  flowers  and  river  grasses  to 
get  your  drink,  but  get  your  drink!  To  get 
on  is  the  aim.  Never  mind  about  getting  up ! 
And  so  life  loses  its  ideals,  its  dignities,  its 
elevations.  It  loses  the  vertical  and  becomes 
merely  horizontal.  It  has  ambitions,  but  no 
aspirations.  It  has  push,  but  no  worship.  It 
has  belief  in  expediencies,  but  it  loses  its  belief 
in  God.  Instead  of  "  worshipping  the  Lord, 
thy  God,  with  all  thy  strength, "  it  worships 
the  strength  of  self.  And  this  is  one  of  the 
subtlest  perils  of  the  noonday  of  success.  In 
our  pride  we  raise  our  altar  to  our  own  right 
arm.  "  By  the  strength  of  our  own  hand  we 
have  done  it." 

There  is  only  one  security  from  these  perils. 
It  is  "  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High."  In 
that  secret  Presence  we  dwell  under  the  cool- 
ing shadow  of  the  Almighty!  There  will  be 
no  haze  with  our  heat     No  earth-born  cloud 


196    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

will  veil  the  Supreme.  Our  great  God  will  be 
to  us  as  "  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock,"  and 
we  shall  not  be  dizzied  in  the  burning  noon 
of  our  prosperity  and  triumph.  We  can  be 
successful  and  yet  be  safe,  but  the  secret  is 
with  God.  "  He  shall  not  fear  men  when 
heat  cometh."  "  The  arrow  that  flieth  by 
day  "  shall  never  reach  his  soul.  In  the  noon- 
day he  shall  be  immune,  for  "  the  mouth  of 
the  Lord  hath  spoken  it." 

The  strength  of  God's  grace  has  been  trium- 
phantly manifest  in  men  and  women  who  have 
spent  years  in  the  sunshine.  Prosperity  has 
beamed  upon  them,  but  they  have  remained 
unspoiled.  Success  after  success  has  poured 
its  radiance  around  them,  but  the  graces  of 
their  spirit  do  not  fade.  Some  protective  air 
seems  to  wrap  them  round  about,  a  defence 
against  the  fierceness  of  the  favouring  beams. 
They  are  defended  by  the  ministries  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  They  can  have  ease  and  not  be 
wasted.  They  can  even  be  wealthy  and  yet  be 
in  the  kingdom  of  humility  and  peace.  They 
can  "  pass  through  the  fire  and  not  be  burned," 
for  in  the  fire  there  is  One  with  them  "  like 
unto  the  Son  of  Man,"  and  they  walk  un- 
scathed. 


XXVII 
THE   BENEDICTION   OF   THE  SNOW 

THE  student  of  the  Word  of  God,  and, 
indeed,  the  student  of  human  life,  is 
greatly  impressed  with  the  amazing 
variety  of  the  Divine  processes  in  the  culture 
of  the  soul.  "  As  the  rain  cometh  down  and 
the  snow  from  heaven  and  watereth  the  earth 
and  maketh  it  bring  forth  and  bud.  .  .  ." 
These  two  ministries,  so  strangely  contrasted 
— the  rain  and  the  snow — are  equally  the 
friends  of  the  bountiful  harvest.  That  rain 
should  be  linked  with  the  harvest  I  can  quite 
well  understand;  but  one  is  startled  with  the 
range  of  the  vision  which  connects  the  snow 
with  the  ripened  seed.  It  is  reasonable  that 
the  delicate  dew  should  be  related  to  the  deli- 
cate bud,  but  it  is  a  larger  outlook  that  con- 
nects the  frosty  night  with  the  opening  leaf. 
It  is  a  congenial  thought  which  links  the  woo- 
ing zephyr  with  the  yellowing  grain.  But 
here  the  kinship  is  made  with  the  cutting  blast. 
Here  we  are  shown  the  relation  of  ice  to  the 
waving  corn!  It  is  this  breadth  of  the  proc- 
ess, comprehending  such  startling  contraries, 
197 


198    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

that  makes  one  see  the  variety  of  the  discipline 
in  the  Divine  culture  of  the  individual  and  the 
race. 

The  rain  provides  a  most  beautiful  figure  of 
the  softening  ministries  of  grace.  It  is  a  fit- 
ting expression  of  the  tender  mercies  of  our 
God.  The  rain  is  typical  of  all  the  gentle, 
genial  providences,  the  April  weather  of  min- 
gled sunshine  and  shower.  We  have  all 
known  these  seasons,  for  we  have  all  experi- 
enced them,  the  seasons  when  God's  love  has 
played  upon  us  like  rain  upon  the  hard  ground, 
and  when  "  the  barren  ground  has  become  a 
pool  and  the  thirsty  land  springs  of  water." 
No  Christian  disciple  has  walked  along  with 
the  Master,  and  especially  in  times  of  sore  af- 
fliction, without  the  knowledge  of  that  gentle 
consolation  when  God  "  comes  down  like  rain 
upon  the  mown  grass." 

But  the  snow,  too,  is  in  the  process  of  Divine 
culture.  There  is  a  place  for  the  frost,  the 
chill,  and  the  winter.  The  snow  is  an  ap- 
parent foe  to  the  purposed  bud  and  seed.  It 
is  repressive  rather  than  expressive.  It  seems 
to  be  the  minister  of  death  rather  than  of  life, 
hastening  decay  rather  than  promoting 
growth.  And  yet  the  snow  is  the  servant  of 
the  harvest.  It  "  cometh  down  from  heaven," 
it  "  maketh  the  earth  to  bring  forth  and  bud." 


BENEDICTION  OF  THE  SNOW     199 

And  thus  it  is  that  the  cold,  cutting  discipline 
in  life,  for  which  the  snow  provides  the  sym- 
bol, is  also  a  servant  of  the  spiritual  harvest, 
and  generates  and  nourishes  the  flowers  and 
fruits  of  the  perfected  life. 

Sometimes  we  can  see  quite  clearly  how  the 
harvest  of  the  soul  has  been  helped  by  the  frost 
and  the  snow.  Winter  possesses  a  life.  The 
grey  days  come  and  the  cold,  dark  nights. 
And  then  some  grace  appears,  some  fine  rev- 
erence, some  chaste  reserve,  some  beautiful 
modesty,  some  violet  of  the  spirit,  like  crocus 
or  gentian  revealing  itself  under  the  melting 
coverlet  of  Alpine  snows.  It  was  not  there 
before  the  snow  had  fallen,  but  now  it  lifts 
its  lowly  head  before  the  face  of  an  approving 
heaven.  Let  me  quote  one  or  two  examples 
of  spiritual  graces  and  purposes  which  have 
been  gendered  and  nourished  beneath  the 
snow  robe.  Here  is  one :  "  Before  I  was 
afflicted  I  went  astray,  but  now  I  have  kept 
Thy  word."  Something  was  born  in  the  se- 
verities of  affliction;  the  virtue  of  fidelity  was 
nourished  in  the  wintry  day.  And  here  is 
another:  "  It  is  good  for  me  that  I  have  been 
afflicted,  that  I  might  learn  Thy  statutes." 
Here  is  a  faculty  that  is  strengthened  by  the 
frost.  Affliction  adds  to  the  man's  worth. 
The  grace  of  refined  perception  was  found  in 


£00    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

the  day  of  the  falling  snow.  There  is  a  third 
suggestive  example  in  the  life  of  Hezekiah: 
"  In  those  days  was  Hezekiah  sick  unto 
death."  The  gloom  of  affliction  settled  upon 
his  soul;  the  snow  was  falling!  Now,  if  we 
turn  to  the  day  when  the  winter  is  over,  we 
shall  find  "  flowers  appear  on  the  earth."  Lis- 
ten to  this  word  when  Hezekiah  was  recovered 
of  his  sickness :  "  I  shall  go  softly  all  my 
years."  The  snow  brought  the  flowers  of 
delicacy  and  gentleness  and  considerateness, 
and  never  again  would  he  break  the  bruised 
reed. 

And  here  is  the  Apostle  Paul,  full  of  love, 
full  of  ardour,  burning  with  passionate  quest 
in  the  service  of  his  Lord.  He  was  an  Apos- 
tle of  the  Kingdom,  and  through  his  ministry 
the  evangel  of  grace  was  being  carried  from 
city  to  city,  from  land  to  land,  from  clime  to 
clime.  He  was  a  glorious  sower  of  the  heav- 
enly seed,  and  there  was  promise  of  rich  and 
bountiful  harvest.  And  then  the  snow  began 
to  fall.  Cruel,  biting  blasts  blew  about  his 
ministry.  The  evangel  appeared  to  be  ice- 
bound, and  the  evangelist  himself  was  held  in 
servitude  in  Rome.  Now  turn  to  the  record, 
to  the  words  written  while  the  snow  was  yet 
falling :  "  The  things  that  happened  unto  me 
have  turned  out  rather  unto  the  furtherance 


BENEDICTION  OF  THE  SNOW    201 

of  the  Gospel."  Again  we  have  a  harvest 
helped  by  the  wintry  day.  Expansion  is 
gained  from  the  agent  of  apparent  restriction. 
The  frost  is  the  nurse  of  multiplying  growth. 
Let  me  give  one  other  example  taken  from 
the  more  general  fields  of  literature.  I  find 
it  in  that  great  passage  in  Shakespeare  where 
Cardinal  Wolsey  is  passing  out  of  the  glory 
and  pomp  of  carnal  grandeur  into  the  cold 
wintry  gloom  of  isolation  and  neglect. 

Farewell,  a  long  farewell,  to  all  my  greatness! 
This  is  the  state  of  man:  to-day  he  puts  forth 
The  tender  leaves  of  hope;  to-morrow  blossoms, 
And  bears  his  blushing  honours  thick  upon  him; 
The  third  day  comes  a  frost,  a  killing  frost, 
And— when  he  thinks,  good  easy  man,  full  surely 
His  greatness  is  a-ripening— nips  his  root, 
And  then  he  falls,  as  I  do. 

The  frost  has  come,  the  snow  is  falling! 
But  is  that  the  end,  a  blighted,  stricken,  with- 
ered life?  Let  us  read  again:  "I  feel  my 
heart  new  open'd."  The  frost  is  the  minister 
of  the  opening,  the  snow  is  the  servant  of  a 
quickened  life.     Let  me  read  once  more: 

Cromwell:  How  does  your  grace? 

Wolsey:  Why,  well; 
Never  so  truly  happy,  my  good  Cromwell. 
I  know  myself  now;  and  I  feel  within  me 
A  peace  above  all  earthly  dignities, 
A  still  and  quiet  conscience. 


208    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

And  so  I  say  the  snow  is  the  minister  in 
the  development  of  the  Lord's  design.  If 
we  had  no  snow  in  our  lives  there  would  be 
no  chivalry,  no  springs  of  tenderness,  no  brim- 
ming rivers  of  noble  compassion.  If  there 
were  no  snow  I  am  afraid  there  might  be  no 
violets,  and  life  would  not  attain  those  holy 
graces  which  shone  in  the  life  of  the  Son  of 
God.  "  He  learned  obedience  by  the  things 
that  he  suffered."  If  the  soul  had  no  winter 
it  might  miss  its  intimate  vision  of  God. 


XXVIII 
NEEDLESS   REGRETS 

"IFF  Thou  hadst  been  here  my  brother  had 
not  died."  That  is  a  Scriptural  exam- 
ple of  a  very  familiar  experience.  It 
illustrates  a  most  commonplace  form  of  grief. 
It  is  an  example  of  needless  regrets.  "If 
Thou  hadst  been  here  my  brother  had  not 
died."  If  we  had  arranged  things  a  little  dif- 
ferently, how  different  might  have  been  the 
issues!  If  we  had  taken  another  turning, 
what  a  contrast  in  our  destiny!  If  only  we 
had  done  so-and-so,  Lazarus  might  have  been 
with  us  still!  My  readers  will  recognize  the 
familiarity  of  the  utterance.  It  is  the  ex- 
pression of  a  common  human  infirmity.  Its 
sound  travels  through  the  years  like  the  haunt- 
ing sigh  of  a  low  moan.  "  If  only  .  .  . !  " 
"If  only  .  .  .  ! "  And  the  pathetic  cry  is 
with  us  to-day.  It  is  usually  born  on  the 
morning  after  a  crisis,  and  it  sometimes  con- 
tinues until  the  plaintive  soul  itself  goes  home 
to  rest.  It  is  a  sorrow  that  consumes  like  a 
gangrene.  It  drains  away  the  vital  strength. 
If  by  some  gracious  ministry  it  could  be  ended, 
203 


204    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

and  the  moan  changed  into  trustful  quietude, 
an  enormous  load  would  be  lifted  from  the 
heart  of  the  race.  Men  and  women  are  being 
crushed  under  needless  regrets.  And  here  is 
one  of  them:  "Lord,  if  Thou  hadst  been 
here  my  brother  had  not  died  I "  It  was  a 
regret  that  shut  out  the  kindly  light  of  the 
stars  which  God  has  ordained  should  shine 
and  cheer  us  in  our  nights.  I  wish,  therefore, 
to  look  at  the  incident  with  the  utmost  sim- 
plicity, in  the  prayerful  hope  that  similar  bur- 
dens may  be  lifted  from  the  hearts  of  some 
who  may  read  these  words. 

It  was  a  beautiful  friendship  which  united 
the  Lord  with  the  family  at  Bethany.  Their 
home  was  very  evidently  one  of  His  favourite 
resorts.  He  turned  to  it  for  its  friendly 
peace.  Perhaps  He  found  in  this  little  circle 
a  love  that  was  not  tainted  with  interested  am- 
bition. Perhaps  He  found  a  friendship  that 
sought  no  gift  and  coveted  no  place.  Perhaps 
He  found  a  full-orbed  sympathy,  unbroken  by 
suspicion  or  reserve.  Perhaps  He  found  a 
confidence  which  was  independent  of  the  mul- 
titude, and  which  remained  quietly  steadfast 
whether  He  moved  in  public  favour  or  in  pub- 
lic contempt.  At  any  rate,  Jesus  was  at  home 
"  in  the  house  of  Martha  and  Mary,"  and  here 
all  unnecessary  reticence  was  changed  into 


NEEDLESS  REGRETS  205 

free  and  sunny  communion.  He  loved  to  turn 
from  the  heated,  feverish  atmosphere  of  fickle 
crowds  to  the  cool  and  restful  constancy  of 
these  devoted  friends.  When  the  eyes  of  His 
enemies  had  been  following  Him  with  ma- 
licious purpose,  it  was  spiritually  recreating  to 
look  into  eyes  that  were  just  quiet  "  homes  of 
silent  prayer."  After  the  contentions  of  the 
Twelve,  and  their  constant  disputes  as  to  who 
should  be  greatest,  it  was  good  to  be  in  this 
retired  home  where  friends  found  love's  re- 
ward in  love's  sacrifices,  and  the  joy  of  loving 
in  the  increased  capacity  to  love.  It  is  there- 
fore no  wonder  to  read,  as  we  do  so  fre- 
quently, that  "  Jesus  went  out  to  Bethany." 

And  now  a  darker  record  begins.  "  A  cer- 
tain man  was  sick,  Lazarus  of  Bethany,  of 
the  village  of  Mary  and  her  sister  Martha." 
We  know  nothing  about  Lazarus,  except  that 
Jesus  loved  him.  Not  a  single  lineament  of 
his  character  has  been  offered  to  our  imagina- 
tion. And  yet,  somehow,  I  feel  as  though  I 
know  him  well.  He  was  one  of  those  glo- 
rious men  about  whom  our  modern  Press 
could  scarcely  compose  a  single  readable  para- 
graph. He  was  a  gracious,  lovable  nobody. 
He  was  a  "  home-bird."  He  was  a  lover  of 
the  fireside.  He  was  a  beautiful  common- 
place.    He  did  nothing  except  live  a  noble  life. 


206    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

He  was  one  of  the  nobodies  whose  presence 
constitutes  the  very  sanctity  of  home.  And 
he  was  sick. 

What  will  the  sisters  do  ?  They  know  of  the 
Saviour's  mysterious  power  over  sicknesses. 
They  had  heard  of  it;  they  had  probably  seen 
it.  Should  they  send  for  Him?  Lazarus 
would  not  hear  of  it !  These  good  souls  never 
will.  Said  Lazarus :  "  He  has  got  some- 
thing better  to  do  than  trouble  about  me. 
Trouble  not  the  Master.  Let  Him  go  on  tell- 
ing His  good  news  unto  men."  And  the  sis- 
ters heeded  their  brother.  But  he  grew 
gradually  weaker,  and  they  took  counsel  to- 
gether, perhaps  unknown  to  their  forbearing 
patient.  And  then  a  sort  of  compromise  was 
born  which  paid  respect  to  their  brother's  wish 
while  giving  expression  to  their  own.  "  We 
won't  exactly  ask  Him  to  come !  We  will  just 
send  Him  the  news  and  leave  the  decision  to 
Him."  "  The  sisters  therefore  sent  unto  Him 
saying,  Lord,  behold,  he  whom  Thou  lovest  is 
sick." 

What  will  the  Master  do?  Surely  He  will 
haste  with  all  speed  to  the  stricken  home !  He 
will  take  comfort  where  He  has  so  often  re- 
ceived it.  He  will  lift  the  burden  where  the 
burden  has  been  so  often  lifted  from  Him. 
"When  therefore  Jesus  heard  that  he  was 


NEEDLESS  REGRETS  207 

sick  He  abode  at  that  time  two  days  in  the 
place  where  He  was."  It  was  one  of  those 
mysterious  delays  which  so  often  burden  our 
life.  There  were  the  sisters  in  Bethany,  wait- 
ing, wondering,  saddening.  Will  He  never 
come  ?  Has  He  forgotten  ?  "  Then  after 
this  He  saith  to  the  disciples,  Let  us  go  into 
Judaea  again."  And  so  He  came  to  Bethany, 
but  it  was  too  late.     Lazarus  was  dead. 

"If  Thou  hadst  been  here !  If  only  we  had 
sent  two  days  earlier!  If  only  we  had  done  it 
without  consulting  our  brother!  If — if — if 
only !  "  This  is,  I  say,  a  type  of  needless  re- 
gret. It  was  a  retrospect  which  darkened 
sorrow.  It  added  a  deeper  gloom  to  the 
night.  And  it  was  all  so  gratuitous,  so  need- 
less, so  unwise.  Why  should  they  now  go 
back,  and  fetch  remorse  from  yesterday,  and 
load  their  heart  to  the  point  of  bursting? 

And  the  same  remorseful  "if"  rankles  in 
human  life  to-day.  How  often  I  have  heard 
it  when  loved  ones  have  been  taken  away. 
Poor  laden  hearts  have  added  to  their  bur- 
den by  their  sharp  regrets.  "  If  we  had  only 
gone  south  instead  of  north."  "  If  I  had 
taken  the  first  illness  more  seriously."  "  If 
I  had  only  got  her  away  when  she  began  to 
grow  tired."  "  If  I  had  only  given  up  that 
engagement."    "  If  I  had  never  gone  away." 


208    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

*  If  we  had  called  in  the  doctor  earlier."  And 
so  the  poor,  weeping  souls  moan  on  as  if  our 
God  was  dead. 

And  how  often  I  have  heard  the  wail  when 
some  choice  or  enterprise  has  apparently 
failed.  "If  we  had  only  put  him  into  a  trade 
instead  of  a  profession ! "  "  If  only  we  had 
put  him  in  a  profession  instead  of  a  trade!  " 
"If  only  we  had  never  sent  him  away  from 
home ! "  "If  only  we  had  taken  the  other 
alternative!"  "If  only  we  had  listened  to 
this  man's  counsel  instead  of  that  man's  coun- 
sel!" "If  only!  If  only!"  Or  perhaps 
there  is  some  decision  concerning  ourselves 
about  which  we  have  now  become  uncertain 
when  it  is  too  late  to  make  a  change.  We 
thought  about  it,  we  took  counsel  about  it, 
we  prayed  about  it.  Then  we  acted,  and  now 
we  think  we  see.  "  If  only  I  had  waited  an- 
other week !  "  "If  only  I  had  taken  the  first 
post  that  offered ! "  "If  only  I  had  been 
contented  with  good  instead  of  fondly  looking 
for  better ! "  And  so  there  comes  a  seeming 
"  after-wisdom."  We  assume  that  we  are 
"  wise  after  the  event."  Our  lamp  is  now 
burning,  but  it  has  been  kindled  too  late,  and 
its  only  use  is  to  reveal  to  us  our  tragic  and 
irremediable  mistakes. 

Now  in  the  case  of  Martha  and  Mary  the 


NEEDLESS  REGRETS  209 

remorseful  regret  was  altogether  needless. 
"If  Thou  hadst  been  here!"  But  He  had 
been  there  all  the  time.  He  had  been  with 
them  in  deepest  sympathy,  in  kindly  thought, 
in  gracious  intention,  in  tender  and  yet 
ample  plan.  What  they  were  thinking  to 
be  a  lamentable  mischance  was  a  vital  part  of 
a  larger  scheme,  begotten  and  inspired  by  un- 
failing love.  They  had  scarcely,  if  ever,  been 
out  of  His  mind  since  He  heard  the  news. 
There  was  no  need  for  regret ;  everything  was 
just  exactly  right. 

And  so  it  is  with  most  of  the  "  ifs,"  the 
remorseful  "  ifs  "  that  ravage  and  devastate 
our  peace.  If  there  be  a  personal  devil,  who 
makes  it  his  work  to  sow  seeds  of  unhappi- 
ness  and  discord  and  unrest,  multitudes  of 
these  "  ifs  "  must  be  of  his  unholy  planting. 
And  for  this  reason.  They  destroy  filial 
trust;  they  destroy  spiritual  peace;  they  de- 
stroy the  wide  sweeping  light  of  Christian 
hope.  The  devil  sows  these  needless  regrets, 
and  the  thorns  choke  the  good  seed,  and  our 
spiritual  harvest  is  starved  or  destroyed. 

And  even  supposing  we  have  made  mis- 
takes, and  we  would  dearly  like  to  have  the 
choice  back  again  that  we  might  take  the  other 
turning,  what  then?  Who  is  our  God?  And 
what  are  His  name  and  character?    Cannot 


210    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

He  knit  up  the  ravelled  bit  of  work,  and  in  His 
own  infinitely  gracious  way  make  it  whole 
again?  With  all  our  mistakes  we  may  throw 
ourselves  upon  His  inexhaustible  goodness, 
and  say  with  St.  Theresa,  "  Undertake  Thou 
for  me,  O  Lord." 

It  is  the  very  gospel  of  His  grace  that  He 
can  repair  the  things  that  are  broken.  He  can 
reset  the  joints  of  the  bruised  reed.  He  can 
restore  the  broken  heart.  He  can  deal  with 
the  broken  vow.  And  if  He  can  do  all  this, 
can  He  not  deal  with  our  mistakes?  If  un- 
knowingly we  went  astray,  and  took  the  wrong 
turning,  will  not  His  infinite  love  correct  our 
mistakes,  and  make  the  crooked  straight? 


XXIX 
WISE   FORGETFULNESS 

IT  was  a  wise  and  comprehensive  prayer 
which  the  old  saint  offered  when  he  said, 
"  Lord,  help  us  to  remember  what  we 
ought  not  to  forget,  and  to  forget  what  we 
ought  not  to  remember.' '  Our  memories  are 
very  defective,  and  very  erratic,  and  very  un- 
sanctified.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  said  that 
"  Memory  is  a  crazy  witch ;  she  treasures  bits 
of  rags  and  straw,  and  throws  her  jewels  out 
of  the  window."  And  memory  remains  ca- 
pricious even  when  life  has  entered  into  the 
highest  relations  and  has  made  a  faith-cove- 
nant with  the  eternal  God.  We  forget  the 
way  the  Lord  our  God  has  led  us.  We  forget 
all  His  benefits.  We  forget  that  we  were 
"  cleansed  from  our  old  sins."  The  remem- 
brance of  His  mercy  sometimes  goes  clean  out 
of  our  mind.  Memory  has  some  very  big 
holes,  and  some  big  things  drop  away  into 
oblivion. 

But  just  now  I  want  to  consider  the  other 
aspect  of  her  vagaries,  her  careful  hoarding 

of  things  which  she  ought  to  throw  away,  the 
211 


212    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

diligent  remembrance  of  things  which  ought 
to  be  forgotten.  There  are  some  things  for 
which  we  need  mnemonic  aids ;  there  are  other 
things  for  which  we  require  mnemonic  anaes- 
thetics. If  at  some  times  the  memory  needs 
refreshing,  at  other  times  there  is  dire  need 
of  spring  cleaning  when  her  rubbish  can  be 
swept  away.  The  full  sanctification  of  mem- 
ory, while  it  will  vitalize  some  relationships, 
will  surely  destroy  the  sensitiveness  of  others. 
It  would  be  a  blessed  thing  if  we  could  lose 
the  remembrance  of  our  injuries.  For  one 
thing,  the  sense  of  injury  is  aggravated  by 
remembrance.  A  spark  is  fanned  into  a 
flame,  and  "  behold  how  great  a  matter  a  little 
fire  kindleth."  And  in  that  fire  it  is  our  own 
furniture  which  is  consumed.  Some  very 
precious  furnishings  of  the  soul  are  burned 
to  ruin.  Self-reverence  and  self-control  are 
destroyed.  Gentleness  and  modesty  wither 
away  like  the  undergrowth  in  a  forest  fire. 
Indeed,  every  power  in  life  is  damaged,  even 
conscience  herself  being  seared.  But  apart 
from  these  moral  damages,  what  an  uncom- 
fortable guest  this  is  to  entertain  in  one's  re- 
membrance! She  keeps  us  continually  ruffled 
and  feverish.  She  fills  the  chambers  of  the 
soul  with  heaviness  and  gloom.  She  despoils 
us  of  the  sweet  sunshine  of  grace,  and  she 


WISE  FORGETFULNESS  213 

sours  every  feast.  Why  should  we  keep  her? 
Above  all,  why  should  we  give  her  so  much 
attention?  For  when  she  absorbs  the  atten- 
tion the  Lord  Himself  is  eclipsed.  If  this  bit- 
ter resentment  could  just  become  incarnate, 
and  in  visible  ugliness  could  sit  with  us  at 
our  table,  we  should  very  speedily  order  her 
out  of  the  house.  If  memory  could  lose  her 
we  should  have  great  gain.  If  only  we  could 
forget  her  we  should  more  clearly  remember 
the  Lord. 

And  then  some  of  us  are  unwisely  remem- 
bering our  forgotten  sins.  There  is  the  sin 
of  a  far-off  yesterday,  of  which  we  have  re- 
pented, and  which  we  have  confessed,  and 
which  the  gracious  Lord  has  forgiven,  and  yet 
we  turn  to  it  again  and  again  with  heavy  and 
unrelieved  heart.  We  go  back  and  dig  it  up 
again  when  the  Lord  Himself  has  buried  it, 
and  when  over  its  grave  He  has  planted  fair 
heart's-ease  and  lilies  of  peace.  If  ever  we 
do  return  to  those  fields  of  defeat  we  ought 
to  pluck  a  little  heart's-ease  or  bring  back  a 
lily  with  us,  that  we  may  testify  that  where 
sin  abounded  "  grace  doth  much  more 
abound."  There  ought  to  be  no  room  in  our 
memories  for  the  heaviness  of  forgiven  sin. 
"  His  banner  over  us  is  love,"  and  that  banner 
is  waving  over  the  entire  realm  of  our  yes- 


814.    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

terdays   if   we   have   sought   His   pardoning 
grace. 

Some  people  carry  too  vivid  a  remem- 
brance of  their  beneficiaries.  They  are  con- 
tinually rehearsing  to  themselves  the  detailed 
story  of  their  benefactions.  In  memory  they 
pass  them  from  hand  to  hand  and  back  again, 
letting  their  right  hand  know  what  their  left 
hand  doeth.  They  had  much  better  forget 
them.  It  is  spontaneity  that  gives  our  minis- 
tries their  worth,  and  a  spontaneous  character 
quickly  throws  off  the  remembrance  of  past 
services.  The  well  is  ever  bubbling  up  anew, 
and  the  waters  of  yesterday  are  forgotten. 
Yes,  it  is  spontaneity  that  makes  our  services 
fresh  and  refreshing.  But  self-consciousness, 
especially  when  it  wears  the  smile  of  self-sat- 
isfaction, seeks  to  win  commendation  and  re- 
ward, and  so  its  real  beneficence  is  stricken 
at  the  heart.  When  we  begin  to  gloat  over 
our  goodness  men  begin  to  see  that  it  is  a  trick 
and  they  will  know  that  it  is  not  the  fruit  of 
the  tree  of  life.  "  Take  heed  that  ye  do  not 
your  righteousness  to  be  seen  of  men,"  and 
we  surely  may  add  "  nor  to  be  seen  of  self." 
Forget  them! 

I  will  mention  one  other  matter  where  a  de- 
fective memory  would  be  for  our  good — the 
matter  of  past  attainment.     It  is  possible  so 


WISE  FORGETFULNESS         315 

to  hug  our  past  triumphs  that  we  never 
get  beyond  them.  We  may  so  linger  with  our 
success  that  we  become  satisfied,  and  have  no 
aspiration  for  anything  beyond.  And  thus 
it  is  literally  true  that  some  men's  chains  arc 
found  in  their  achievements.  They  have  sat 
down  in  their  victories,  and  life's  progressive 
march  has  ceased.  It  was  surely  on  some 
such  peril  as  this  that  the  Apostle  was  looking 
when  he  proclaimed  his  strong  and  positive 
determination  to  forget  "  the  things  that  are 
behind."  He  used  the  figure  of  the  racer  who 
had  covered  part  of  the  course,  but  whose  goal 
was  yet  ahead.  And  the  racer  would  not  per- 
mit himself  to  turn  and  gaze  upon  the  ground 
already  run,  still  less  to  sit  down  and  contem- 
plate it  with  satisfaction.  He  would  forget 
his  present  attainments  in  the  quest  of  some- 
thing better  beyond.  But  we  are  always  in 
peril  of  stopping  in  the  midst  of  the  course 
and  seeking  attainment  in  partial  triumph. 
We  have  had  a  good  spurt;  let  that  splen- 
did spasm  do  for  the  race!  Or  to  change 
my  figure,  we  are  satisfied  to  win  a  battle, 
and  we  become  indifferent  about  the  cam- 
paign. Our  satisfactions  are  premature. 
We  fondle  what  we  have  done,  and  we  are 
drugged  by  our  successes  into  degeneracy  and 
retrogression.     Our  minds  must  be  filled  with 


216     THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

the  vision  of  the  fields  that  are  yet  to  be  won. 
"  Glories  upon  glories  hath  our  God  pre- 
pared." Let  us  feel  the  call  and  the  allure- 
ment of  the  days  before  us,  and  press  on  to 
the  apprehension  of  their  hidden  treasure. 

The  grace  of  God  is  our  provision  for  the 
sanctification  of  the  memory.  Perilous  re- 
membrances will  be  avoided  if  we  are  pos- 
sessed by  "  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus."  His 
grace  is  a  "  savour  of  life  unto  life,"  but 
it  is  also  "  a  savour  of  death  unto  death." 
It  can  put  things  to  sleep  that  ought  never  to 
have  awaked.  Apart  from  the  grace  of  the 
Lord  we  have  no  sufficient  power  to  hallow 
the  memory.  Mere  effort  will  not  avail.  It 
is  conscious  communion  with  the  Lord  that 
ultimately  transforms  the  consciousness.  It 
is  by  the  fulness  of  His  might  that  all  the 
spaces  of  the  soul  become  realms  of  beauty 
and  dwelling-places  of  eternal  truth. 


XXX 

PREJUDGING  CHRIST 

"  I  "VOTH  our  law  judge  a  man  except  it 
m  first  hear  from  himself,  and  know 
^"^  what  he  doeth?"  But  that  is 
Christ's  fate  every  day  and  all  the  days.  He 
is  judged  from  hearsay.  Men  will  not  come 
face  to  face  with  Him  and  "  know  what  He 
doeth."  In  the  days  of  His  flesh  the  Phari- 
sees judged  Him  by  extraneous  standards. 
What  was  His  birthplace?  "Out  of  Galilee 
ariseth  no  prophet."  What  were  the  range 
and  quality  of  His  rabbinical  knowledge? 
What  heed  does  He  pay  to  the  customary 
ritualistic  practices  ?  "  He  eateth  with  un- 
washed hands."  "  Thy  disciples  fast  not." 
The  ordinary  habiliments  of  the  popular  sect 
were  wanting,  and,  therefore,  He  was  de- 
spised and  rejected.  And  these  are  typical 
examples  of  the  prejudices  through  which 
many  men  looked  at  the  Lord.  It  is  the  char- 
acteristic of  a  prejudice  that  it  is  small  and 
yet  it  produces  monstrous  perversions.  A 
tiny  obliquity  in  a  lens  can  make  the  outlook 
217 


218    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

grotesque.  A  small  prejudice  can  so  distort 
our  vision  of  the  Master  that  "  when  we  shall 
see  Him  there  is  no  beauty  that  we  shall  desire 
Him." 

And  small  prejudices  lead  to  great  mis  judg- 
ments in  our  own  day.  A  man's  opinion 
about  the  Church  is  allowed  to  fashion  his  re- 
lationship to  the  Christ.  Some  professing 
Christian  has  broken  his  covenant  and  be- 
trayed his  Lord,  and,  therefore,  the  Lord 
Himself  is  forsaken.  Or  men  recoil  from 
some  phrase  in  a  credal  statement  of  the  faith, 
and  they  turn  their  back  upon  the  Lord  of  life 
and  glory.  Through  churchianity  many  men 
interpret  Christianity,  and  it  is  difficult  to  get 
them  to  come  with  a  "  fresh  eye  "  to  the  con- 
templation of  Christ.  "  Doth  our  law  judge 
any  man  before  it  hear  him?"  Most  as- 
suredly this  is  the  prejudgment  which  many 
men  call  conviction. 

What  is  the  right  way  of  judging  the 
Christ?  First  of  all,  we  must  bring  the  right 
implements.  We  must  consecrate  to  the  quest 
the  medium  of  a  sensitive  heart.  It  will  not 
suffice  that  we  spend  a  week  in  worldliness 
and  sin  and  then  set  about  to  give  an  hour's 
consideration  to  the  claims  of  the  Lord.  It 
will  be  impossible  to  see  even  a  sunset  truly 
on  those  terms.    The  heart  that  is  befouled 


PREJUDGING  CHRIST  219 

by  unclean  living  is  in  no  condition  to  estimate 
aright  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 

And  then,  in  the  second  place,  we  must 
bring  an  open  mind.  Every  blind  must  be 
up  and  every  window  opened.  We  must  be 
perfectly  candid  and  sincere  in  our  approach. 
It  is  not  enough  to  have  a  clean  lens  on  the 
telescope — we  must  take  the  cap  off !  A  man 
must  strenuously  rid  himself  of  all  perverting 
prejudices  and  draw  near  to  the  Lord  with  a 
single  desire  to  see  Him  as  He  is.  And  to 
this  end  we  must,  in  the  third  place,  bring  an 
alert  imagination.  We  cannot  vividly  realize 
a  page  of  ordinary  history  if  our  imagination 
is  dormant  or  dead.  If  we  are  to  see  the 
movement  of  a  past  day  in  all  its  life  and 
colour  our  imagination  must  be  awake  and 
active.  Now  this  is  peculiarly  true  when  we 
come  to  the  story  of  our  Lord.  All  our  pow- 
ers must  be  surrendered  to  the  quest,  and  more 
especially  this  talent  of  the  imagination  by 
which  we  recover  the  vitalities  of  yesterday 
and  realize  them  as  though  we  were  in  the 
very  movements  to-day. 

And  with  this  equipment  we  must  "  hear 
Him."  We  must  hear  Him  patiently  and 
hear  Him  through.  We  must  hear  Him  con- 
cerning God,  concerning  Himself,  concerning 
ourselves  and  our  brother.     We  must  listen  to 


220    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

Him  as  He  speaks  of  life,  and  love,  and  duty, 
and  death,  and  destiny.  We  must  listen  while 
He  tells  us  what  we  are  and  what  we  may  be, 
and  by  what  ministries  of  grace  the  transfor- 
mation can  be  effected.  But  we  must  also 
know  "  what  He  doeth."  We  must  pass  from 
His  words  to  His  deeds,  from  a  quiet  listening 
in  the  oratory  to  the  contemplation  of  His  do- 
ings in  the  laboratory  of  the  great  world.  We 
must  investigate  His  work  upon  others  and  ■ 
see  what  He  has  done.  For  instance,  we  must 
look  at  the  man  whose  river  of  life  was  like 
the  flo wings  of  a  sewer  and  which  is  now 
cleansed  and  pure  as  crystal.  We  must  re- 
gard the  other  man  whose  will  was  like  a  trem- 
bling reed,  and  which  has  been  converted  into 
a  resoluteness  like  the  strength  of  an  iron  pil- 
lar. We  must  study  His  work  in  the  gay, 
fast  woman  of  the  world  who  has  been  trans- 
formed and  transfigured  into  a  strong  and 
gracious  saint.  Yes,  we  must  honestly 
"  know  what  He  doeth.,,  And  we  shall  not 
have  gone  far  in  the  search  before  our  souls 
begin  to  bow  in  that  wonder  which  is  the  i 
parent  of  love  and  praise.  J 

But  this  is  not  enough.  If  we  are  to  lay 
aside  every  prejudice,  and  all  that  has  hin- 
dered a  true  and  full  knowledge  of  the  Lord, 
we  must  investigate  His  work  upon  ourselves. 


PREJUDGING  CHRIST  221 

That  is  to  say,  we  must  convert  inquiry  into 
experiment.  I  cannot  understand  men  ancTj 
women  passing  the  years  in  wordy  contro- 
versy concerning  Christ  and  never  submitting 
His  claims  and  promises  to  the  severe  and  se-1 
rious  test  of  personal  experience.  Surely  It 
is  one  of  the  first  marks  of  candour  in  all  our 
relationships  to  the  Christ,  to  see  if  His  word 
works,  and  if  by  the  fulfilment  of  His  condi- 
tions we  ourselves  are  brought  into  the  prom- 
ised possession  of  peace  and  joy.  Let  a  man 
sit  down  to  the  New  Testament.  Let  him 
with  clean,  sincere  eyes  search  out  the  requi- 
site conditions  of  a  conscious  relationship  with 
the  personal  Power  of  the  world.  Let  him, 
if  need  be,  write  them  out,  and  set  them  before 
him.  Let  him  make  them  his  maxims  for  the 
government  of  his  life  by  day  and  night.  Let 
him  make  test  if  there  is  anything  in  them. 
Nay,  rather  let  him  test  if  there  is  anything 
in  Him.  Let  him  experiment  for  twelve 
months.  Let  him  do  it  with  humility  and  rev- 
erence, earnestly  desiring  to  know  the  reality 
of  things  behind  the  veil,  and  he  shall  as- 
suredly feel  the  presence  and  the  power  of  the 
Eternal.  What  will  happen?  The  miracle 
will  happen  which  has  been  wrought  in  in- 
numerable lives.  The  man's  heart  will  begin 
to  be  purified.     The  man's  mouth  will  begin 


222    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

to  be  cleansed.  His  eyes  will  begin  to  be  ra- 
diant with  vision.  His  sympathies  will  put 
on  chivalry  and  the  joy  of  sacrifice.  He  will 
know  that  his  Redeemer  liveth. 

Surely  this  is  the  way  of  honest  inquiry. 
Let  not  a  man  be  made  the  slave  of  unillu- 
mined  prejudice.  Let  him  not  govern  his  life 
by  hearsay  and  rumour.  Let  him  be  content 
with  nothing  second-hand.  Let  him  seek  a 
first  experience  of  the  things  of  the  Highest, 
and  the  Highest  will  not  leave  him  in  the 
lurch. 


XXXI 

RIVERS   OF   LIVING  WATER 

"1  TE  that  believeth  on  Me,  from  within 
him  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  wa- 
ter." The  springs  of  life  are  found 
in  faith.  Vital  belief  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
brings  the  soul  into  communion  with  foun- 
tains of  vitality.  "  All  my  springs  are  in 
Thee."  And  we  cannot  have  springs  without 
streams.  Fountains  make  rivers.  When  the 
Divine  life  possesses  the  soul,  it  flows  over  in 
gracious  ministries  among  our  fellow-men. 
The  affluence  becomes  an  influence  imparting 
itself  to  others.  "  From  within  shall  flow 
rivers."  And  what  shall  be  the  character  of 
the  river? 

The  life  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God  is  a 
minister  of  vitality.  Wherever  the  figure  of 
the  river  is  used  in  the  Scriptures  it  always 
implies  the  carriage  and  the  impartation  of 
life.  "  The  river  of  water  of  life."  "  Every- 
thing shall  live  whither  the  river  cometh." 
Those  who  are  in  communion  with  the  Holy 
Spirit  are  to  be  the  antagonists  of  death,  and 
are  to  convey  the  life-giving  powers  of  the 

223 


224    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

eternal  God.  First  of  all,  they  will  vitalize 
dead  organizations.  There  is  nothing  more 
burdensome  than  an  organization  bereft  of 
life.  There  is  nothing  more  inert  than  ma- 
chinery divorced  from  energy.  The  Church 
is  cumbered  by  dead  and  dormant  institutions. 
Everywhere  there  is  the  incubus  of  institu- 
tionalism  that  has  no  inherent  vitality.  Now, 
the  disciples  of  the  Lord  Jesus  are  to  bring  the 
needful  life.  Their  influence  is  to  be  that  of 
a  river  upon  a  mill-wheel.  It  changes  the  in- 
activity of  death  into  beneficent  motion,  and 
things  that  were  only  impediments  become 
ministers  of  progress. 

And  the  disciples  of  Christ  are  also  to 
vitalize  dead  dispositions.  Everywhere  in 
human  life  there  are  withered  and  withering 
things  which  need  to  be  quickened.  In  some 
lives  hopes  are  drooping  like  spring  blossoms 
that  have  been  nipped  by  the  frost.  In  other 
lives  desires  are  fading,  and  are  like  plants 
that  are  suffering  from  thirst.  And,  again, 
in  other  lives  the  affections  are  ailing,  and 
their  strength  is  lapsing  into  perilous  weak- 
ness. If  we  could  only  look  into  the  secret 
places  of  the  souls  of  men,  we  should  be 
amazed  in  how  many  lives  there  is  the  touch 
of  death.  Now,  the  friends  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
are  to  move  about  among  these  drooping  peo- 


RIVERS  OF  LIVING  WATER      225 

pie  like  "  rivers  of  water  of  life."  The  with- 
ered heart  is  to  be  thrilled  by  our  presence. 
The  drooping  faculty  is  to  lift  itself  up  in  new 
strength,  by  reason  of  the  influence  of  our 
lives.  We  are  to  be  the  ministers  of  a  mys- 
terious but  most  real  vitality.  There  is  a  sig- 
nificant passage  in  the  Book  of  Job,  which 
always  seems  to  me  to  lend  itself  to  rich  and 
far-reaching  interpretations.  "  For  there  is 
hope  of  a  tree,  if  it  be  cut  down,  that  it  will 
sprout  again,  and  that  the  tender  branch 
thereof  will  not  cease.  Though  the  root 
thereof  wax  old  in  the  earth,  and  the  stock 
thereof  die  in  the  ground,  yet  through  the 
scent  of  water  it  will  bud  and  bring  forth 
boughs  like  a  plant."  The  old  stock  wither- 
ing in  the  ground  scents  the  presence  of  the 
water,  and  is  quickened  into  newness  of  life. 
And  so  is  it  to  be  in  the  life  of  man.  When 
the  river  of  water  of  life  comes  near  to  souls 
that  are  drooping  in  disquietude  and  defeat 
they  are  to  become  alive  again  and  clothe 
themselves  in  strength  and  beauty. 

But,  in  the  second  place,  the  life  filled  with 
the  spirit  of  God  is  to  be  a  minister  of  purity. 
It  is  "  clear  as  crystal,"  and  in  all  its  move- 
ments it  is  the  enemy  of  all  defilement.  I 
have  watched  a  strong  and  impetuous  stream, 


226    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

born  after  heavy  rains,  pouring  its  fulness  into 
a  stagnant  pool  which  had  become  the  home 
of  corruption.  In  the  energy  of  its  presence 
the  corruption  was  unloosed  and  carried 
away;  until  the  pool  was  left  clean  and  clear 
as  a  sea  of  glass.  And  such  is  to  be  the  influ- 
ence of  the  disciples  of  Christ  upon  the  estab- 
lished corruption  of  our  day.  The  glorious 
energies  of  a  redeemed  life  are  to  be  poured 
into  the  settled  defilement,  to  stir  up  and  re- 
lease it,  and  to  bear  it  entirely  away.  Imag- 
ine a  half-dozen  pure  and  strenuous  moral  riv- 
ers flowing  strongly  in  every  village  in  our 
land!  Imagine  ten  thousand  such  rivers  do- 
ing their  purifying  work  in  a  great  city !  Think 
of  such  rivers  moving  in  every  human  fellow- 
ship! I  remember  a  town  council  which  had 
come  into  the  hands  of  men  of  common  and 
questionable  character,  and  the  government  of 
the  town  was  becoming  debased.  And  a  number 
of  men,  in  whom  the  Spirit  dwelled  mightily, 
and  whose  influence  was  like  strong  rivers,  en- 
tered the  council  and  made  it  clean.  Who  has 
not  known  a  committee  saved  by  the  strength 
of  one  man's  consecration?  And  this  is  sug- 
gestive of  the  possible  influence  of  every  life. 
If  our  souls,  by  faith  in  the  Lord  Christ,  are 
in  communion  with  the  springs  of  life,  then 
a  river  of  pure  and  purifying  influence  will 


RIVERS  OF  LIVING  WATER      227 

most  assuredly  flow  in  all  our  common  inter- 
course. 

And,  thirdly,  the  life  filled  with  the  Spirit 
of  God  is  a  minister  of  refreshment.  There 
are  desert  places  in  the  life  when  the  springs 
seem  far  away.  I  got  a  letter  the  other  day, 
in  which  my  correspondent  described  what  he 
called  "  a  dry  sorrow/'  The  sorrow  was  so 
intense  that  he  had  lost  the  power  to  weep. 
It  was  grief  that  could  not  find  relief  in  tears. 
It  was  "  a  dry  and  thirsty  land  where  no  water 
is."  And  everybody  is  familiar  with  such  ex- 
periences, either  in  his  own  life  or  in  the 
lives  of  others.  Now,  what  is  needed  in 
such  drought  is  some  refreshing  river.  The 
prophet  Isaiah  declares  that  the  ideal  man  is 
like  "  a  river  of  water  in  a  dry  place."  He 
brings  refreshment  to  the  soul  that  is  held  in 
perilous  dryness.  And  who  is  to  bring  this 
refreshment?  It  can  only  be  brought  by  men 
and  women  who  live  at  the  springs,  and  whose 
very  presence  is  "  a  river  of  water  of  life." 

And,  lastly,  the  life  filled  with  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  a  minister  of  hilarity.  What  more 
fitting  symbol  of  gladness  can  we  find  than  a 
clear,  bright  stream,  dancing  and  leaping  in 
the  sunshine?  Just  to  look  at  it,  just  to  listen 
to  it,  is  to  catch  the  contagion  of  its  joyful 
movement.     And  "  there  is  a  river  the  streams 


228    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

whereof  shall  make  glad  the  city  of  God." 
The  river  that  takes  its  rise  in  heavenly  places 
in  Christ  Jesus,  that  is  born  among  the  hills 
of  grace,  and'  flows  in  the  sunshine  of  the 
Eternal  Love,  is  bound  to  be  a  minister  of 
gladness  and  cheer.  The  desponding  and  the 
melancholy,  and  those  whose  faces  are  heavy 
with  the  gloom  of  fear,  are  to  be  heartened 
and  cheered  when  the  disciple  of  Christ  draws 
near,  for  the  life  filled  with  the  Spirit  is  like 
a  dancing,  joy-imparting,  and  beauty-creating 
stream.  How  near  do  we  come  to  this  ideal  ? 
Perhaps  we  can  give  cups  of  cold  water.  But 
is  our  life  richer  than  this,  and  is  it  suggestive 
of  music  and  dancing?  Is  there  anything 
hilarious  in  its  influence?  Is  there  the  touch 
of  joy,  the  gladdening  ministry  of  those  whose 
wills  are  in  harmony  with  the  King? 

So,  perhaps,  instead  of  singing  "  Like  a 
mighty  army  moves  the  Church  of  God,"  it 
might  be  a  healthier  expression  if  we  sang, 
"  Like  a  mighty  river  moves  the  Church  of 
God " ;  a  river  carrying  vitality,  purity,  re- 
freshment, and  making  the  birds  to  sing  in  the 
trees  that  line  its  banks. 


XXXII 
OUTSIDE   THE   WALLS 

IT  is  a  healthy  experience  to  find  rare  flow- 
ers beyond  the  limits  of  one's  own  jeal- 
ously-guarded garden.  It  is  especially 
healthy  when  we  have  assumed  that  all  the 
seed  was  in  our  own  basket.  It  is  altogether 
good  to  be  made  to  wonder  at  these  exotics 
growing  so  naturally  in  their  alien  bed.  Our 
Lord  seemed  to  take  exquisite  delight  in  point- 
ing them  out,  and  in  emphasizing  the  teaching 
that  His  garden  stretched  beyond  the  con- 
fines of  all  the  walls  that  had  been  built  by 
men.  He  would  stop  His  disciples  on  one 
of  these  alien  roads — roads  which  to  them 
had  no  significance  except  barrenness  and 
desolation — and  He  would  draw  their  reluc- 
tant eyes  to  some  lovely  flower  growing  by 
the  way.  Again  and  again  He  points  them 
out,  beautiful  things  outside  the  official  circle, 
sweet  presences  beyond  the  limits  of  the  recog- 
nized compound.  He  loved  to  reveal  the 
flowers  growing  outside  the  walls. 

There  were  ten  lepers,   and   all   of   them 
were  healed  by  the  Master,  but  only  one  re- 
229 


230    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

turned  to  give  thanks  for  his  healing,  "  and  he 
was  a  Samaritan/'  This  fine  flower  of  grati- 
tude was  found  growing  beyond  the  pale  of 
exclusive  and  traditional  privilege.  It  is  like 
"  a  root  out  of  a,  dry  ground."  But  there  it 
is.  A  fair  and  beautiful  thing  which  re- 
freshed the  spirit  of  our  Lord.  And  so  it  is 
to-day;  this  noble  and  graceful  flower  of 
gratitude  may  often  be  found  growing  in  pro- 
fusion outside  the  outermost  walls  of  the 
Church.  And  so  it  is  again  that  within  the 
walls,  amid  rich  conditions  of  soil  and  climate, 
you  may  sometimes  seek  for  the  flower  in 
vain.  There  are  lives  which  claim  exalted 
heavenly  relations,  but  they  lack  the  grace  of 
gratitude.  There  are  many  who  cry,  "  God 
be  merciful ! "  who  never  cry,  "  God  be 
praised !  "  But  the  sweet  song  is  often  heard 
outside  the  walls,  and  the  sweet  singer  has  not 
built  her  nest  near  the  recognized  altars  of  the 
temple. 

"And  the  barbarians  showed  us  no  com- 
mon kindness."  That  was  a  beautiful  flower 
to  be  found  growing  in  the  wild  home  of  ca- 
price and  superstition.  Indeed,  can  we  find 
anywhere  a  more  beautiful  flower  than  kind- 
ness? Is  there  any  flower  more  pleasant  to 
look  upon,  more  sweet  in  its  fragrance,  more 
arresting  and  welcome  to  the  eyes  of  men? 


OUTSIDE  THE  WALLS  231 

And  it  was  the  barbarians  who  grew  it  in  no 
common  fashion.  But  where  is  the  kindness 
born?  From  whose  seed  does  it  spring,  and 
in  what  soil  is  it  grown  ?  With  what  sort  of 
light  and  rain  is  it  nourished?  These  ques- 
tions lead  us  away  to  the  source  of  every  beau- 
tiful thing,  even  to  the  Great  God,  who  has  all 
"  strength  and  beauty  in  His  sanctuary."  If 
the  barbarians  showed  no  common  kindness, 
then  the  sweet  flowers  had  been  grown  from 
seeds  wafted  from  the  paradise  of  God. 
When  we  call  things  by  their  right  names, 
kindness  is  one  of  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  and 
so  these  barbarians  were  just  a  part  of  the 
garden  of  the  Lord. 

"  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no,  not 
in  Israel."  Here,  again,  is  our  Lord's  delight 
in  outside  treasure.  Here  is  a  steady,  stead- 
fast, appropriating  faith,  liberating  the  divine 
and  holy  energies  of  healing,  and  yet  the  man 
in  whom  it  dwells  is  not  registered  among 
"  the  favoured  people  of  God."  He  is  an  out- 
sider, an  alien,  remote  from  the  privileged 
vantage-ground  of  sunshine  and  shower,  and 
yet  this  strong,  virile,  oak-like  faith  is  grow- 
ing mightily  in  his  soul.  The  Kingdom  was 
wider  than  the  visible  Church.  Some  who 
were  unregistered  in  the  earthly  lists  of  saints 
had  "  their  names  written  in  heaven."     There 


9S%    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

were  spiritual  correspondences  when  there 
were  no  official  wires.  There  was  secret  fel- 
lowship where  there  was  no  visible  com- 
munion. And  all  this  should  be  deeply  heart- 
ening to  our  souls.  The  realm  of  the  Spirit 
is  bigger  than  we  know.  Our  church  rolls  are 
not  its  measure.  There  are  men  and  women 
of  unconfessed  relations  who  are  at  mighty 
grips  with  God.  There  is  secret  faith  that 
has  not  yet  found  public  confession.  There 
are  faithful  souls  who  will  never  "  follow  with 
us,"  but  who  are  busy  "  casting  out  devils  in 
His  name."  They  may  keep  their  own  way, 
but  the  Lord  knows  them,  and  He  seals  their 
faith  with  His  grace  and  power.  They  are 
"  outside  the  walls,"  but  they  are  "  in  the 
Lord." 

"  Other  sheep  I  have  which  are  not  of  this 
fold"  And  yet  we  are  so  tempted  to  think 
that  all  His  sheep  are  in  our  fold,  and  we  look 
with  sharp  suspicion  on  those  that  are  outside 
our  walls.  I  do  not  say  that  we  bluntly  deny 
them  a  part  in  the  Tender  Shepherd's  care, 
but  there  is  a  reluctance  of  recognition,  a 
want  of  generous  candour,  a  disposition  to 
withhold  the  right  names  from  things,  which 
is  painful  evidence  that  we  severely  limit  the 
Shepherd's  fold.  Let  us  test  ourselves  by 
our  regard  for  the  Roman  Catholics.     How 


OUTSIDE  THE  WALLS  233 

about  the  sheep  of  that  fold?  Do  we  heartily 
recognize  the  close  communion  between  these 
sheep  and  our  Shepherd?  Do  we  readily  ac- 
knowledge our  common  fellowship  in  the 
Lord?  Or  are  we  rather  inclined  to  regard 
them  as  "  black  sheep,"  shepherdless,  or 
herded  only  by  subtle  and  deceptive  hirelings? 
"  Them  also  I  must  bring."  We  urgently 
need  this  broader  and  deeper  sense  of  com- 
munion. It  is  amazing  how,  with  all  our  fed- 
erations and  alliances,  the  "  fold  "  prejudices 
are  so  intense  and  vigorous.  It  may  be  that 
we  take  the  "  fold "  spirit  instead  of  the 
"  flock  "  spirit  into  our  alliances,  and  we  pre- 
serve our  bitter  divisions  in  the  midst  of  our 
apparent  union.  At  any  rate,  there  are  deep 
denominational  reluctances  that  would  be 
burned  out  completely  if  we  had  more  of  the 
fire  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  concerning  all 
such  roots  of  bitterness  "  our  God  is  a  con- 
suming fire." 

It  is  thus  a  wise  and  holy  practice  to  look 
outside  our  walls.  It  is  well  to  cultivate  a 
wide  expectancy,  and  to  keep  vigilant  eyes 
upon  every  road,  if  perchance  we  may  see 
signs  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord.  If  we  find 
the  red  flower  of  love,  let  us  relate  it  to  God, 
for  God  is  love. 


XXXIII 
HONEST  MORAL  JUDGMENT 

r\  Y  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 
jk  So  that  is  to  be  the  standard  of  judg- 
ment. We  are  not  to  be  concerned 
with  the  label,  but  with  the  fruit.  We  are  not 
to  draw  our  conclusions  from  the  florist's 
catalogue,  but  from  the  actual  garden.  Men 
are  to  be  judged,  not  by  their  professions,  but 
by  their  character,  not  by  their  theology,  but 
by  their  life.  That  is  a  very  simple  and 
reasonable  principle.  We  are  to  test  things 
by  their  issues.  We  are  to  go  into  the  orchard 
and  taste  the  fruit. 

But  the  Master's  teaching  goes  further  than 
this.  He  insists  that  we  are  to  be  perfectly 
honest  with  our  findings.  If  we  find  grapes 
we  are  to  infer  a  vine,  and  not  to  suggest  they 
are  the  product  of  a  thorn.  If  we  come  upon 
figs  we  are  to  infer  a  fig  tree,  and  not  to  sus- 
pect that  they  were  borne  on  a  thistle.  We 
are  not  to  belie  our  moral  intelligence.  We 
are  not  to  cheat  our  instincts.  We  are  not  to 
confuse  our  common-sense.  When  I  see  fine 
moral  grapes  I  must  not  hesitate  in  my  conclu- 
234 


HONEST  MORAL  JUDGMENT     235 

sion  that  they  are  significant  of  so  much  na- 
ture and  force  of  the  moral  vine.  If  I  come 
upon  spiritual  grapes  I  must  not  insinuate  that 
the  serpent  was  the  gardener,  and  that  he  him- 
self has  produced  them.  Wherever  I  see  true 
goodness  I  must  infer  God.  Wherever  I  find 
noble  spiritual  fruit  I  am  to  reason  that  it  is 
a  fruit  of  the  Spirit.  I  must  not  confuse  my- 
self by  saying  "  thorns  "  when  it  is  as  clear  as 
the  morning  that  I  have  found  a  cluster  of 
grapes,  and  I  must  not  say  "  thistles  "  when  I 
have  discovered  ripe,  delicious  figs. 

Now  there  is  a  strange  unwillingness  to  ap- 
ply this  principle.  There  is  a  hidden  per- 
versity in  the  mind  and  heart  which  turns  us 
away  from  its  simplicity.  We  are  timid  and 
hesitant  and  uncertain  in  our  application.  We 
see  a  grape,  and  we  are  half  fearful  it  may 
have  sprung  from  a  thorn.  We  see  a  fig,  and 
we  are  dubious  whether  it  may  not  have 
sprung  from  a  thistle.  So  we  have  confused 
our  reason  and  abused  our  moral  instincts. 
We  have  misinterpreted  hopeful  and  helpful 
signs  and  presences.  We  have  limited  "  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel."  We  have  seen  noble 
deeds,  and  attributed  them  to  an  alien  power. 
We  have  witnessed  glorious  ministries  of 
emancipation,  and  we  have  said  they  were 
done  by  "  Beelzebub,  the  Prince  of  devils." 


236    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

I  must  fearlessly  apply  the  principle  to  my 
own  life.  I  go  into  my  heart  and  find  a 
strange,  wild  country.  There  are  many 
things  that  are  withered,  things  that  are  dis- 
torted, and  things  that  are  ugly.  There  are 
thoughts  and  purposes  sharp  and  cruel  as 
thorns,  and  idle  thistles  abound  on  every  hand. 
But  suppose  I  find  a  few  grapes,  one  tiny  clus- 
ter of  grapes?  Then  I  must  be  honest  with 
myself  and  rigidly  true.  I  must  not  throw 
them  to  the  thorns  and  thistles.  I  will  say  to 
myself:  "These  are  true  grapes,  and  they 
betoken  the  presence  of  the  True  Vine;  the 
vine  nature  is  here,  the  vine  force,  the  Living 
Vine,  the  Christ."  I  find  in  my  soul  hints 
and  suggestions  of  a  better  and  larger  life. 
My  self-made  earthclouds  sometimes  part 
asunder  for  a  moment,  and  there  breaks  upon 
my  gaze  the  glory  of  the  heavenly  country.  I 
cannot  quite  say  how  they  come.  Sometimes 
they  come  in  the  quietness  of  the  night. 
Sometimes  they  come  in  the  convulsion  of  cir- 
cumstances. I  have  known  them  come  at  the 
suggestion  of  a  passing  face.  No  matter  how 
they  come,  what  shall  I  do  with  them  when 
they  appear?  Let  me  not  call  them  flares 
from  the  pit,  false  beacons  kindled  by  the 
Devil.  Let  me  rather  attribute  them  to  the 
Father  of  Lights,  the  King  of  Glory. 


HONEST  MORAL  JUDGMENT     237 

I  find  also  in  my  soul  some  responsiveness 
to  the  "  higher  calling."  Often  when  the 
gleam  shines  before  me  my  heart  goes  out  in 
earnest  craving.  Sometimes  I  have  a  hunger 
and  a  thirst  for  righteousness;  desire  is  kin- 
dled, and  I  long  to  be  clothed  in  the  beauty  on 
which  I  gaze.  What  then  shall  I  call  these 
things?  Let  me  be  just  to  myself,  especially 
when  I  am  tempted  to  think  myself  God- for- 
saken and  God-ignored.  Here  is  a  holy  de- 
sire; then  I  will  call  it  a  grape.  I  will  not 
call  it  a  thistledown.  It  is  a  fruit  of  the  Vine, 
and  the  Lord  is  near.  So  will  I  reason  con- 
cerning every  gracious  moment  in  my  soul, 
just  putting  out  tendrils  toward  the  spiritual 
and  the  eternal.  It  may  be  only  petty  and 
poor,  but  if  there  be  any  achievement  at  all  I 
will  give  it  its  right  name.  It  may  be  that 
the  grapes  are  not  yet  fully  formed.  They 
may  be  hard  and  green  and  sour.  Still,  they 
are  imperfect  grapes,  and  they  are  the  fruit 
of  the  Vine,  and  for  these  I  will  thank  and 
praise  His  grace. 

For  every  virtue  we  possess," 

And  every  conquest  won, 
And  every  thought  of  holiness 

Are  His  and  His  alone. 

I  must  firmly  apply  the  same  principle  to 
pthers.     When  I  see  grapes  growing  in  their 


238    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

lives,  I  must  not  attribute  them  to  thorns  or 
thistles.  I  must  be  honest  and  firm  in  my 
reasoning.  I  never  glorify  God  when  I  refer 
His  works  to  the  Devil.  I  must  apply  the 
reasoning  to  the  people  who  are  outside  all 
Churches.  I  must  not  be  tempted  to  label 
everything  thorns  and  thistles,  as  though  the 
Lord  had  no  dominion  and  no  ministry  out- 
side ecclesiastical  fields.  Here,  again,  perfect 
honesty  and  perfect  candour  will  do  the  best 
service  to  the  Lord.  And  I  must  follow  the 
reasoning  in  my  conclusions  about  the  wor- 
shippers in  Churches  other  than  mine.  How 
suspicious  we  are !  How  ready  we  are  to  call 
grapes  thorns  when  they  grow  in  another  de- 
nominational field!  Even  when  graces  are 
evident,  our  consent  is  frequently  so  qualified, 
so  ungracious,  so  reluctant!  We  reluctantly 
attribute  them  to  "  uncovenanted  mercies. " 
The  seeds  have  been  carried  by  stray  winds, 
and  the  raindrops  were  intended  for  other 
fields! 

How  grudging  we  often  are  in  our  recogni- 
tion of  the  grapes  that  grow  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  still  more  of  those  that  are  found 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church !  I  know  there 
has  been  much  in  our  history  to  make  us  re- 
sentful, and  to  fill  us  with  a  hot  contempt. 
But,  however  tempted  we  may  be,  we  must  not 


HONEST  MORAL  JUDGMENT    239 

yield  to  the  injustice  of  denying  the  real 
grapes,  and  labelling  the  whole  field  as  the 
home  of  thorns  and  thistles.  There  are  win- 
somely  gracious  things  in  their  midst.  There 
is  saintly  character,  there  is  mystical  insight, 
there  are  marvellous  range  and  power,  and 
tenderness  of  intercession.  There  is  chival- 
rous and  heroic  consecration  and  service.  The 
grapes  are  evident.  Let  us  gladly  attribute 
them  to  the  blood  of  the  vine. 

If  I  thus  apply  the  Master's  principle,  hon- 
estly, consistently,  universally,  what  will  the 
result  be? 

First  of  all,  I  shall  have  an  enormously  en- 
larged conception  of  the  workings  of  the 
Lord.  I  shall  realize  that  His  spirit  is  present 
everywhere,  knocking  everywhere,  and  that 
"  His  train  fills  the  temple.''  And,  secondly, 
I  shall  have  the  energy  of  exhilarant  hope.  I 
shall  know  that  I  cannot  begin  and  work  any- 
where where  the  Lord  has  not  anticipated  me 
and  done  preparatory  work  for  my  coming. 
"  The  fields  are  white  already  unto  harvest." 
So  life  will  become  more  reverent,  as  percep- 
tion becomes  more  delicate,  and  it  will  thus  be 
filled  with  the  spirit  of  hopefulness  and  praise. 


XXXIV 
THE   COMING   OF  THE   KINGDOM 

I  WANT  to  lead  the  meditations  of  my 
readers  to  a  very  familiar  supplication  in 
the  Lord's  Prayer :  "  Thy  will  be  done." 
And  with  what  better  comment  upon  the 
words  can  I  begin  than  this  from  John  Cal- 
vin :  "  The  substance  of  the  prayer  is  that 
God  would  enlighten  the  world  by  the  light  of 
His  Word,  would  form  the  hearts  of  men  by 
the  influence  of  His  Spirit,  and  would  restore 
to  order,  by  the  gracious  exercise  of  His 
power,  all  the  disorder  that  exists  in  the 
world/'  John  Calvin  thus  brings  us  to  a  very 
definite  conception  as  to  what  the  prayer  im- 
plies. The  Kingdom  comes  just  as  God's 
thought  and  Spirit  become  dominant — His 
grace  pervading  human  affection,  His  counsel 
illumining  human  judgment,  His  purpose 
fashioning  human  desire,  His  will  controlling 
human  movement.  The  Kingdom  comes  when 
His  throne  is  revered,  and  when  "  the  Lamb 
which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  "  constrains 
our  wills  in  glad  and  spontaneous  obedience. 
The  Kingdom  comes  just  as  human  relation- 
240 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  KINGDOM    241 

ships  are  shaped  and  beautified  by  the  charac- 
ter of  God,  His  righteousness  expressed  in 
our  rectitude,  His  grace  flowering  in  our  gra- 
ciousness,  and  His  love  finding  a  witness 
in  everything  lovely  and  of  good  report. 
The  Kingdom  comes  when  the  King  is 
honoured  and  when  His  statutes  become  our 
songs. 

We  must  offer  the  prayer  as  seers.  Our 
souls  must  be  possessed  by  the  glorious  vision 
of  a  world  held  in  the  majestic  yet  gracious 
sovereignty  of  God.  The  beautiful  land  must 
be  ours  in  holy  vision  and  dream.  Even  while 
we  pray,  the  poet  within  us  must  be  at  work, 
that  mystic  architect  and  builder  in  the  soul 
who  completes  his  temples  and  palaces  before 
the  first  material  stone  has  been  laid  and  be- 
fore the  first  sod  has  been  turned.  It  is  char- 
acteristic of  the  poet  that  he  abides  in  the 
vision  of  the  finished  city  while  yet  there  is 
only  a  shanty  on  the  ground.  He  sees  the 
shining  minarets  and  towers  while  yet  he 
stands  in  the  first  rude  clearing  of  the  desert 
waste.  He  feels  the  quiet  of  the  haven  while 
he  is  in  the  midst  of  the  stormy  seas,  and  he 
hears  the  pipes  of  peace  in  the  very  clash  and 
combat  of  war.  The  poet's  soul  dwells  not 
so  much  in  the  temple  when  it  is  building  as 
in  the  temple  built.     He  is  the  seer,  he  carries 


242    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

the  vision,  and  he  reveals  to  us  the  goal  of  life 
and  love  and  duty. 

Now,  the  manner  of  the  poet  has  always 
been  a  manner  of  the  true  apostles  and  saints. 
They  have  borne  in  their  souls  the  vision  of 
the  finished  work.  It  was  even  so  with  the 
Master  Himself.  "  I  beheld  Satan  as  the 
lightning  fall  from  heaven/'  It  was  the 
vision  of  a  triumph  not  yet  fully  accomplished. 
It  was  the  manner  of  the  Apostle  Paul.  He 
looked  "  not  at  the  things  which  are  seen,  but 
at  the  things  which  are  not  seen."  He 
pressed  "  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of 
the  high  calling."  It  was  also  the  manner  of 
the  Apostle  John.  "  I,  John,  saw  the  holy 
city,  the  new  Jerusalem,  coming  down  out  of 
heaven  from  God."  And  yet  when  he  had  the 
vision  of  the  city  how  little  of  the  city  had 
been  built!  In  place  of  a  spiritual  Kingdom 
he  was  confronted  by  mighty  Rome,  with  her 
diseased  pomp,  and  her  festering  luxurious- 
ness,  and  her  callous  sensationalism,  and  her 
brutal  pride.  Instead  of  a  sovereign  Jesus  he 
was  face  to  face  with  a  triumphant  Nero! 
And  yet  he  carried  the  vision  of  the  finished 
work,  and  he  saw  "  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth." 

And  we  also  are  to  pray  as  seers,  holding 
in  our  souls  the  vision  of  the  perfected  man, 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  KINGDOM  MS 

the  perfected  city,  the  perfected  State.  And 
I  will  give  two  reasons  for  this.  First,  there 
is  always  a  peril  of  our  forgetting  the  glory  of 
the  goal  in  the  distractions  of  the  immediate 
tasks.  If  we  lose  the  vision,  we  spoil  the  task. 
If  we  lose  the  vision  of  the  end,  the  means 
become  enthroned  as  the  end.  "  Coming  to 
church "  becomes  the  end  instead  of  com- 
munion with  God.  And,  secondly,  we  must 
pray  as  seers  because  of  the  vast  inspiration 
which  is  born  of  the  vision  of  finished  achieve- 
ment. We  perhaps  more  readily  see  the  op- 
eration of  this  principle  in  the  contemplation 
of  finished  disaster.  If  a  man  keeps  his  eye 
steadily  fixed  on  probable  defeat  he  will  squan- 
der his  resources  all  along  the  road.  To  con- 
stantly anticipate  defeat  is  to  almost  make  cer- 
tain of  it.  The  anticipation  of  triumph  is  one 
of  the  secrets  of  victory.  Now,  this  is  a 
most  important  truth  in  Christian  Science. 
Amid  much  which  is  erroneous  and  perilous 
and  foolish  it  proclaims  a  vital  truth.  Chris- 
tian Science  counsels  all  its  disciples  to  keep 
their  minds  fixed  on  finished  achievement.  If 
they  want  to  possess  or  to  recover  health  they 
must  contemplate  themselves  in  the  possession 
of  health.  They  must  steadily  foresee  the 
condition  at  which  they  want  to  arrive.  And 
the  principle  prevails  in  the  highest  sphere. 


244    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

When  we  pray  for  the  coming  of  the  King- 
dom our  souls  must  rest  in  the  vision  of  a 
moral  and  spiritual  glory  of  which  that  King- 
dom consists.  We  must  "  see  the  holy  city 
.  .  .  coming  down  out  of  heaven  from 
God."     We  must  offer  the  prayer  as  seers. 

And,  secondly,  we  must  offer  the  prayer  as 
labourers.  Perhaps  I  want  a  stronger  word 
than  that;  crusaders  might  serve  the  purpose 
better.  The  seer  must  be  a  soldier.  The 
vision  must  get  into  the  mind  as  thought,  it 
must  get  into  the  soul  as  desire,  it  must  get 
into  the  body  as  the  energy  of  surrendered 
limbs.  We  must  have  vision,  but  we  must  not 
be  visionaries ;  we  must  be  suppliants,  but  not 
cloistered  and  seclusive.  We  must  labour  to 
build  the  Kingdom  for  which  we  pray.  This 
was  characteristic  of  the  Apostle  John.  He 
was  a  seer,  but  he  was  also  a  soldier.  "  I, 
John,  your  brother,  and  companion  in  tribula- 
tion, was  in  the  isle  which  is  called  Patmos, 
for  the  word  of  God  and  for  the  testimony  of 
Jesus  Christ.,,  This  is  surely  worth  noting. 
The  bright  vision  came  to  the  captive;  the 
place  of  travail  became  the  very  door  of  hope. 
A  more  radiant  apprehension  of  the  heavenly 
city  was  the  reward  of  fidelity  to  truth.  John 
laboured  in  the  building  of  the  city  for  which 
he  prayed.     And  may  we  not  reverently  say 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  KINGDOM    245 

that  this  was  also  true  of  the  Master?  He 
carried  the  holy  vision  and  He  laboured  for  its 
fulfilment.  "  My  father  worketh  hitherto, 
and  I  work."  "  I  must  work  the  works  of 
Him  that  sent  Me." 

And  where  shall  we  work  for  the  building 
of  the  city?  First,  in  our  own  calling.  We 
must  carry  the  vision  there,  and  build  a  bit  of 
the  Kingdom  in  the  sphere  where  we  earn  our 
daily  bread.  We  must  cherish  the  very  high- 
est ideal  of  our  own  vocation.  We  must  set  it 
in  the  light  of  the  Kingdom.  We  must  array 
it  in  the  colours  of  the  Kingdom.  We  must 
depict  it  in  the  excellences  of  the  Kingdom. 
And  then  we  must  set  our  idealized  employ- 
ment in  its  place,  in  the  finished  and  perfected 
Kingdom  of  God.  And  then,  in  the  second 
place,  we  must  hold  ourselves  sacredly  re- 
sponsible to  the  highest  we  have  seen,  and 
diligently,  and  if  need  be  prayerfully,  seek  to 
incarnate  it  in  a  flesh-and-blood  creation.  We 
must  hold  fast  to  the  ideal,  and  make  it  visible 
in  work  and  in  worker,  in  matter  and  in  man- 
ner, and  in  every  ministry  of  relation  between 
ourselves  and  our  fellow-men.  Difficult?  Of 
course  it  is  difficult,  but  why  are  we  men  ex- 
cept to  confront  the  difficult  thing,  and  bend 
it  in  obeisance  to  a  pure  and  sovereign  will? 

And  what  we  are  to  do  with  our  own  calling 


246    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

we  are  to  do  with  our  wider  vocations  as  cor- 
porate members  of  the  city  and  the  State.  No 
one  can  worthily  say  "  Thy  Kingdom  come  " 
and  give  no  consecrated  strength  to  the  travail 
that  makes  the  Kingdom  come.  In  every  city 
there  are  many  crooked  things  needing  to  be 
made  straight.  There  are  many  bitter  pools 
needing  to  be  made  sweet.  There  are  many 
galling  yokes  waiting  to  be  shared.  There 
are  little  children  needing  guidance,  there  are 
old  people  needing  heartening,  there  are  cap- 
tives craving  freedom.  Is  it  nothing  to  you, 
all  ye  that  do  pray,  "  Thy  Kingdom  come  "  ? 
We  must  come  as  seers  to  the  need,  and  give 
our  blood  to  remove  it. 

And,  lastly,  we  must  offer  the  prayer  as 
watchmen.  We  must  watch  for  the  coming 
of  the  Kingdom,  and  we  must  proclaim  the 
breaking  day.  I  think,  perhaps,  we  say  too 
much  about  the  night  and  too  little  about  the 
morning;  too  much  about  the  fastnesses  of 
darkness,  or,  at  any  rate,  too  little  about  the 
growing  splendours  of  the  day.  I  sometimes 
think  we  could  do  with  a  society  whose  one 
work  should  be  to  watch  the  dawn  and  record 
the  signs  of  advancing  day.  Its  glad  and 
privileged  duty  would  be  to  watch  for  signs 
of  the  Kingdom,  and  wherever  they  were  vis- 
ible to  make  them  known.     Its  symbol  would 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  KINGDOM    247 

be  the  morning  star,  and  its  motto,  "  Say  to 
them  that  are  of  a  fearful  heart,  Be  strong! ", 
It  would  be  a  society  of  scouts  for  observing 
and  recording  sunbeams,  and  the  members 
would  engirdle  the  earth  in  quest  of  good 
news.  Daily  papers  would  be  diligently 
searched,  not  for  news  of  strife,  but  for  the 
great  and  winsome  things  which  tell  that  the 
Lord  is  marching  on.  And  it  is  marvellous 
what  we  may  find  in  one  day's  newspaper  if 
we  scour  it  for  signs  of  the  Kingdom.  And 
this  must  be  the  zealous  quest  of  the  suppliants 
of  the  Kingdom.  We  must  let  people  know 
that  the  Kingdom  is  coming,  and  we  must  give 
them  the  proofs.  "  O  thou  that  tellest  good 
tidings  to  Zion,  get  thee  up  into  the  high 
mountains.  O  thou  that  tellest  good  tidings 
to  Jerusalem,  lift  up  thy  voice  with  strength, 
lift  it  up,  be  not  afraid;  say  unto  the  cities 
of  Judah,  Behold  your  God." 


XXXV 
THE   POWER  OF  THE   HOLY  SPIRIT 

WHEN  the  apostles  received  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  what  difference 
did  it  make  to  them?  What  kind 
of  dynamic  does  the  Holy  Spirit  bring  to  men  ? 
What  change  takes  place  in  the  lives  of  men 
to-day  when  they  become  companions  of  the 
Holy  Spirit?  What  infirmities  do  they  leave 
behind?  What  new  equipment  do  they  gain? 
I  turn  to  the  records  of  apostolic  life  and  I 
put  my  inquiries  there.  What  happened  to 
these  men?  What  kind  of  power  did  they  re- 
ceive when  they  had  received  the  Holy  Spirit  ? 
First  of  all,  then,  /  find  an  extraordinary 
power  of  spiritual  apprehension.  I  know  not 
how  to  express  what  I  see.  The  apostles  have 
a  certain  powerful  feeling  for  God.  They 
have  a  keen  spiritual  sense  which  discerns  the 
realities  of  the  unseen.  It  is  as  though  their 
souls  have  developed  latent  feelers  for  the 
Divine.  If  we  compare  their  dulness  in  the 
earlier  days  before  the  Holy  Spirit  was  re- 
ceived, with  their  alertness  afterwards,  we 
shall  see  that  the  difference  is  most  marked. 
248 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT    249 

The  Master  Himself  describes  them  as  "  slow 
of  heart.,,  Their  perceptions  are  blunt. 
They  are  dull  to  catch  the  spiritual  side 
of  things.  But  now  when  we  turn  to  the 
record  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  we  find  this 
powerful  sense  of  the  Divine  presence.  It  is 
as  though  a  man  has  been  sitting  in  a  room 
with  another  man,  but  was  only  dimly  aware 
of  his  presence;  and  then  there  came  to  him  a 
refinement  of  his  senses,  and  he  gained  a  per- 
fect assurance  and  a  vivid  knowledge  of  the 
other's  company.  The  spiritual  senses  of 
these  men  were  awakened,  and  they  became 
aware  of  the  "  all-aboutness  "  of  God.  They 
have  an  intimate  power  of  correspondence 
with  Him  which  makes  the  unseen  Lord  a 
most  real  and  intimate  friend.  And  along 
with  this  sense  of  the  Divine  presence  there  is 
a  refined  apprehension  of  the  Divine  will. 
Everywhere  in  the  apostolic  life  there  is  a  ten- 
der and  refined  correspondence  with  the  mind 
of  God.  Everywhere  communications  are  be- 
ing made  between  the  Divine  and  human,  and 
the  human  is  strongly  apprehending  the 
Divine.  Sentences  like  these  abound  every- 
where :  "  The  angel  of  the  Lord  said  unto 
me  " ;  "  The  Spirit  said  to  Philip,  Go  near  " ; 
"And  the  Lord  said  to  Ananias ";  "The 
Spirit  said  unto  Peter."    There  is  everywhere 


250    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

this  suggestion  of  an  intimate  walk  and  an  in- 
timate knowledge  of  God's  will.  Is  not  this 
a  power  to  be  coveted,  and  a  power  to  be  de- 
sired? And  it  is  a  power  given  by  the  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

I  look  again  at  the  lives  of  these  apostles, 
and  I  find  them  distinguished  by  magnificent 
force  of  character.  In  the  early  days  they 
were  timid,  pliable,  unfaithful.  In  supreme 
crises  they  deserted  their  Master  and  fled. 
They  were  as  reeds  shaken  by  the  wind.  The 
wind  that  blew  upon  them  from  the  haunts  of 
desolation,  the  keen,  perilous  winds  of  perse- 
cution, made  these  disciples  bend  before  their 
blast.  The  men  were  negative,  hesitant,  un- 
certain, altogether  lacking  in  persistent  force. 
But  now  the  timid  and  fearful  have  become 
positive  and  affirmative.  There  is  nothing 
lax  about  them,  nothing  wavering,  nothing 
yielding.  Their  characters  have  become 
strong,  and  steady,  and  effective.  I  say  they 
have  got  force  of  character,  and  they  have  the 
two  elements  that  are  always  found  in  force- 
ful character:  they  have  light  and  they  have 
heat.  They  have  light  in  the  sense  of  clarity 
of  purpose.  Their  outlook  is  not  confused. 
Their  aim  is  perfectly  clear.  If  we  watch 
them  in  the  service  of  their  Lord  we  find 
them  never  to  be  diverted  from  their  track. 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT    251 

"  This  one  thing  I  do."  They  have  this  pri- 
mary element  in  a  forceful  character,  the  clar- 
ity of  an  undivided  aim.  And  the  second  ele- 
ment in  a  forceful  character  is  heat,  the  fire 
of  a  quenchless  enthusiasm.  And  they  cer- 
tainly had  this  fire  in  glorious  strength  and 
abundance.  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  is  a 
burning  book.  There  is  no  cold  or  lukewarm 
patch  from  end  to  end.  The  disciples  had 
been  baptized  with  fire,  with  the  holy,  glowing 
enthusiasm  caught  from  the  altar  of  God. 
They  had  this  central  fire,  from  which  every 
other  purpose  and  faculty  in  the  life  gets  its 
strength.  This  fire  in  the  apostles'  soul  was 
like  a  furnace-fire  in  a  great  liner,  which  drives 
her  through  the  tempests  and  through  the  en- 
vious and  engulfing  deep.  Nothing  could  stop 
these  men!  Nothing  could  hinder  their  go- 
ing !  "  We  cannot  but  speak  the  things  that 
we  have  seen  and  heard."  (i  We  must  obey 
God  rather  than  man."  This  strong  impera- 
tive rings  throughout  all  their  doings  and  all 
their  speech.  They  have  heat,  and  they  have 
light,  because  they  were  baptized  by  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

And  I  look  again  into  the  lives  of  these  men 
who  had  been  redeemed  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  I  find  the  energies  of  a  glo- 
rious optimism.     There  is  no  more  buoyant 


£52    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

and  exhilarating  book  in  the  literature  than 
the  book  of  The  Acts.  If  we  sit  down  and 
read  it  at  a  sitting  we  shall  feel  something  of 
the  swift  and  hopeful  pace  of  its  movement. 
I  do  not  know  that  in  their  earlier  days  we 
should  have  described  the  disciples  as  "  chil- 
dren of  light."  They  easily  lost  heart,  and 
the  cloudy  days  filled  them  with  dismay.  But 
now,  after  they  have  received  the  Holy  Spirit, 
we  find  them  facing  a  hostile  world.  They 
are  face  to  face  with  obstructions,  with  per- 
secutions, with  threats  of  imprisonment  and 
death.  But  nowhere  do  we  find  a  desponding 
or  a  despairing  note.  Ever  and  everywhere 
they  are  optimists  in  spirit.  And  what  is  an 
optimist?  He  is  a  man  who  can  scent  the 
coming  harvest  when  the  snow  is  on  the 
ground.  He  can  "  feel  the  days  before  him." 
He  can  live  in  the  distant  June  in  the  dingy 
days  of  December.  That  is  an  optimist,  a 
man  who  can  believe  in  the  best  in  the  arro- 
gant and  aggressive  presence  of  the  worst. 
He  can  be  imprisoned  in  the  desolations  of 
Patmos  and  yet  can  see  "  the  Holy  City,  the 
New  Jerusalem  coming  down  out  of  heaven 
from  God."  He  can  look  at  a  poor,  way- 
ward, sinful  Samaritan  woman  whose  life  is 
scorched  like  a  blasted  heath,  and  He  can  say, 
M  The  fields  are  ripe  already  unto  harvest," 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT    253 

And  this  power  of  optimism  is  always  opera- 
tive in  the  apostolic  life.  I  find  it  in  the 
springiness  of  their  soul.  You  cannot  break 
their  spirit.  You  cannot  hold  them  down  in 
dull  despair.  "  They  laid  their  hands  on 
apostles  and  put  them  in  the  common  prison/' 
And  what  happened  after  that?  The  morn- 
ing after  their  release  I  read,  "  They  entered 
into  the  temple  early  in  the  morning  and 
taught."  And  here  is  another  part  of  the 
record :  "  When  they  had  called  the  apostles, 
and  had  beaten  them,  they  commanded  that 
they  should  not  speak  in  the  name  of  Jesus, 
and  let  them  go.  And  they  departed  from 
the  presence  of  the  council,  rejoicing  that  they 
were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  for  His  sake." 
These  men  could  not  be  held  down.  The 
spirit  of  optimism  was  ever  dominant. 

And  with  their  springiness  there  was  a  mar- 
vellous spirit  of  joy.  Theirs  was  not  a  dull 
buoyancy,  but  a  radiant  and  a  singing  one. 
"  And  they  raised  persecution  against  Paul 
and  Barnabas,  and  expelled  them  out  of  their 
coasts;  and  the  disciples  were  filled  with  joy 
and  the  Holy  Ghost"!  "And  at  midnight 
Paul  and  Silas  sang  praises  unto  God  " !  Is 
not  this  the  very  spirit  of  power?  These  men 
had  spiritual  springiness,  spiritual  delight,  be- 
cause they  had  the  spirit  of  Christian  op- 


254    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

timism,  and  this  power  they  received  when  the 
Holy  Ghost  came  upon  them. 

Do  we  wonder,  then,  that  men  of  this  kind, 
so  endowed,  have  the  additional  power  of  wit- 
nessing for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ?  They 
witness  by  the  arresting  magnetism  of  their 
own  transfigured  character.  They  witness  by 
their  clear  and  enlightened  apprehension  of 
the  Gospel  by  which  they  have  been  re- 
deemed. And  they  witness  by  the  grip  of 
their  words;  words  which  were  vitalized  by 
the  indwelling  spirit  of  God.  And  we,  too, 
shall  receive  a  similar  power  when  the  Holy 
Spirit  comes  upon  us.  The  same  power  is  of- 
fered to  us,  to  fit  us  for  our  condition,  to 
equip  us  for  our  life.  And  what  are  the 
terms  on  which  that  power  is  received  ?  They 
are  these:  that  we  are  willing  to  offer  our  life 
for  God,  that  the  offer  be  made  in  all  sincerity, 
made  in  simplicity,  made  in  humble  trust  upon 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  means  that  we  are 
willing  to  give  up  our  sins,  to  lay  down  our 
pride.  It  means  that  we  are  willing  to  receive 
the  Lord  as  our  guest,  and  to  allow  Him  to 
rule  and  to  dominate  our  lives. 


XXXVI 
KEEPING  THE  ROADS   OPEN 

"  11"  F  thy  brother  sin."  But  we  must  be 
quite  sure  about  it.  We  can  so  easily 
be  mistaken.  Summary  judgment  can 
be  villainously  unjust.  The  assumed  criminal 
may  be  altogether  innocent,  and  his  supposed 
crime  may  be  the  ugly  figment  of  our  own  dis- 
eased imagination.  For  through  what  per- 
verting media  we  can  look  at  one  another,  and 
what  monsters  we  appear  when  seen  through 
a  distorting  lens !  And  therefore  the  primary 
rule  of  guidance  in  all  presumed  offences  is 
that  a  man  should  examine  his  lens.  Is  the 
lens  a  perverting  medium?  Am  I  looking 
through  a  magnifying  glass,  and  therefore 
magnifying  trifles?  Is  the  whole  matter  an 
exaggeration?  And  is  the  real  fault  in  my 
own  eye?  Let  me  not  leap  to  conclusions 
concerning  my  brother.  "  Let  every  man  be 
swift  to  hear,  slow  to  speak,  slow  to  wrath." 
But  assuming  that  there  is  no  distorting  lens 
corrupting  our  judgment,  and  that  the  offence 
is  palpable  when  seen  through  cool  and  simple 
sight,  what  then  should  be  our  course  ?  "  Re- 
255 


256    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

buke  him."  Well,  that  would  be  pleasant 
enough.  It  is  an  exercise  which  provides  a 
feast  for  the  majority  of  people,  and  we  set 
about  it  with  rare  satisfaction.  But  there 
are  rebukes  and  rebukes.  There  is  a  rebuke 
which  is  only  intended  to  satisfy  the  offended, 
and  there  is  a  rebuke  which  is  purposed  to 
rectify  the  offender.  A  legitimate  rebuke  is 
more  than  a  vent  for  passion — it  is  a  minister 
of  redemption.  It  is  intended  to  do  more 
than  work  off  my  spleen;  it  is  purposed  to  re- 
move my  brother's  defilement.  It  is  to  be 
used  not  so  much  for  the  relief  of  my  wound, 
but  for  the  healing  of  his.  The  wound  of  the 
offended  is  clean,  and  time  will  most  surely 
heal  it.  But  the  wound  of  the  offender  is 
unclean,  and  it  may  easily  fester  into  some- 
thing worse.  And  therefore  I  say  the  pri- 
mary purpose  of  a  rebuke  is  not  to  gratify  my 
temper,  but  to  help  my  brother  to  recover  his 
broken  health. 

Now,  we  may  quite  easily  ascertain  whether 
our  rebuke  has  been  of  the  kind  counselled  by 
the  Master,  a  medicated  kind,  and  the  test  is 
to  be  found  in  whether  we  are  prepared  to  go 
further  with  our  Lord.  "If  he  repent,  for- 
give him."  If  our  rebuke  has  been  healthy 
and  wholesome,  we  shall  be  quite  ready  to  take 
the  further  step  as  soon  as  occasion  offers. 


KEEPING  THE  ROADS  OPEN     257 

The  fine  aim  and  trend  of  all  Christian  rebuke 
is  ultimate  reconciliation.  A  rebuke  is  not 
an  instrument  of  punishment;  it  is  an  instru- 
ment of  adjustment.  It  is  not  penal,  but  sur- 
gical, and  always  and  everywhere  it  is  pur- 
posed to  be  a  minister  of  moral  and  spiritual 
restoration.  To  put  the  matter  in  a  word, 
in  all  the  offences  we  suffer,  our  after-conduct 
should  seek  the  moral  recovery  of  the  of- 
fender. 

Now,  let  us  seek  to  grasp  one  or  two  vital 
principles  which  lie  behind  this  teaching.  And 
I  think  we  must  begin  here:  a  man's  finest 
asset  is  his  integrity.  It  is  just  as  well  that 
even  so  familiar  a  commonplace  as  this  should 
be  re-emphasized.  We  are  in  such  general 
agreement  about  it  that  it  is  apt  to  be  ignored. 
Let  a  man  destroy  his  integrity,  and  he  de- 
stroys the  finest  jewel  in  his  life.  "  A  man's 
life  consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  things 
which  he  possesseth."  Things  provide  only 
an  existence;  in  character  is  found  the  life. 

And  the  second  step  is  this:  the  finest  con- 
tribution which  any  man  can  make  to  a  city 
or  a  nation  is  the  contribution  of  an  unblem- 
ished character,  the  gift  of  a  scrupulously 
clean  and  consistent  life.  It  is  ever  a  tempta- 
tion to  men  to  esteem  gifts  more  than  dispo- 
sitions, to  exalt  the  showy  and  the  dazzling 


258    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

more  than  the  inherently  good.  We  are  cap- 
tured and  fascinated  by  genius,  and  talent,  and 
cleverness,  and  subtle  and  ingenious  accom- 
plishments. And  yet  these  do  not  constitute 
the  sterling  wealth  of  the  corporate  life. 
When  a  man  has  given  only  brilliant  geniu9 
to  his  country  he  has  not  given  his  best.  The 
best  we  can  give  is  not  our  interest,  not  our 
service,  but  a  chivalrous  character,  massive 
and  undefiled. 

If,  therefore,  a  man  has  lapsed  from  moral 
and  spiritual  health,  and  is  squandering  his 
finest  treasure,  it  should  surely  be  his  brother's 
concern,  for  his  own  sake  as  well  as  for  the 
sake  of  the  offender,  to  keep  the  way  open  for 
his  return.  It  is  wise,  even  for  our  own 
sakes,  to  seek  an  offender's  restoration. 
When  a  man  becomes  morally  defiled  he  intro- 
duces uncleanness  into  the  commonwealth. 
Our  sense  of  the  corporate  life  is  so  dull  and 
faint  that  we  only  very  imperfectly  discern 
the  influence  of  the  part  upon  the  whole.  Our 
conception  of  society  is  mechanical,  not  or- 
ganic; it  is  political,  not  vital.  We  think  of 
society  as  a  chance  collection,  not  as  a  nerve- 
pervaded  corporation.  At  the  best  we  regard 
it  only  as  an  aggregation  and  not  a  union* 
But  the  teaching  of  the  Scriptures  brings  be- 
fore us  a  far  more  profound  conception.     Ac-i 


KEEPING  THE  ROADS  OPEN     259 

cording  to  the  New  Testament,  society  is  not  a 
mere  combination,  like  a  heap  of  miscella- 
neous articles  which  the  ocean  has  thrown  up 
on  the  shore.  The  race  of  men  constitute  one 
vast,  nervy  body,  with  all  the  members  vitally 
interdependent,  vitally  intercommunicative,  in- 
herently one  and  whole,  every  part  related  to 
every  other  part  in  community  of  interest,  and 
every  part  suffering  in  so  far  as  any  part  is 
undeveloped  or  bruised  or  broken.  Let  me 
state  quite  boldly  the  implications  of  this 
teaching.  So  long  as  China's  hordes  are  stag- 
nant we  ourselves  will  remain  immature!  So 
long  as  the  cannibal  tribes  of  tropical  islands 
drowse  on  in  their  animalism  we  ourselves 
will  not  be  fully  awake!  So  long  as  any- 
where in  broad  England  any  man  is  mentally 
or  morally  dwarfed,  every  other  man  will 
be  hindered  from  gaining  his  appointed  stat- 
ure! No  man  will  walk  at  his  full  height  so 
long  as  any  man  remains  a  pigmy!  One 
moral  cripple  affects  the  pace  of  the  race! 
And  therefore  if  a  man  "  goes  wrong,"  if  he 
becomes  morally  filthy,  whether  in  slum  or 
suburb,  there  is  no  isolation-hospital  in  which 
his  nefarious  influence  can  be  safely  confined. 
Prison-walls  may  isolate  bodies,  they  cannot 
destroy  the  nerve  communications  of  the 
race.     We  are   every  man  and   woman  the 


260    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

poorer  for  every  man  and  woman  in  gaol 
to-day. 

If,  therefore,  my  brother  sin,  what  shall  I 
do?  Why,  for  the  sake  of  everybody,  try 
to  get  him  right  again.  To  rebuke  him  is  not 
enough;  to  punish  him  unduly  may  aggravate 
the  danger.  The  only  adequate  purpose  is  to 
get  him  whole  again.  And  therefore  did  I 
say  it  is  for  the  offended  to  keep  the  road  open 
for  the  offender's  return. 

Now,  according  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Master,  one  of  the  methods  for  keeping  open 
roads  in  the  moral  and  spiritual  realm  is  the 
ministry  of  forgiveness.  "  Forgive  him." 
Yes,  but  the  word  is  not  used  with  the  thin 
significance  of  effeminate  emotion.  The  for- 
giveness of  the  New  Testament  is  not  emo- 
tional, but  motional;  not  pathetic,  but  ener- 
getic ;  not  a  matter  of  cheap  tears,  but  of  sacri- 
ficial service.  It  is  more  than  pardon,  it  is 
chivalry.  It  is  more  than  the  withdrawal  of 
the  sword,  it  is  the  conversion  of  the  sword 
into  a  ploughshare.  It  is  the  destructive 
transformed  into  the  constructive  and  em- 
ployed in  positive  culture.  It  is  no  use 
considering  anything  else  than  this  when 
we  are  thinking  or  speaking  about  for- 
giveness. There  are  many  counterfeits  about, 
masquerading  as  forgiveness,  but  they  have 


KEEPING  THE  ROADS  OPEN    261 

no  vital  kinship  with  reality.  There  is  a 
superciliousness  which  patronizingly  utters 
sacred  words,  but  its  poverty  is  exposed 
by  its  very  pride.  Forgiveness  is  not  a 
passive  acquittal;  it  expresses  itself  in  the 
ministry  of  self-sacrificing  toil.  And  such  a 
spirit,  by  the  teaching  of  the  Master,  will  as- 
suredly keep  the  road  open  for  a  sinful 
brother's  return,  and  we  shall  be  called  "  the 
repairers  of  the  breach,  the  restorers  of  paths 
to  dwell  in." 

But  a  disposition  of  this  kind  demands  that 
we  ourselves  have  faith  in  the  spiritualities. 
Practical  materialists  will  have  no  concern  for 
these  things,  because  the  currents  and  forces 
in  which  they  believe  are  of  an  altogether 
mundane  kind.  It  is  needful  to  have  a  firm 
conviction  of  the  reality  of  the  spiritualities, 
and  of  their  power  to  strengthen  or  corrode 
the  temporalities  which  are  often  so  glaringly 
showy  and  so  superficially  majestic.  If  we 
are  to  exercise  the  ministry  of  forgiveness, 
in  the  way  in  which  I  have  indicated,  it 
is  needful  that  we  believe  in  God,  and  in  the 
energies  of  godliness,  and  in  our  own  possible 
co-operation  in  the  ministries  of  redemption. 
And,  therefore,  how  fitting  was  the  prayer  of 
the  apostles  which  succeeded  this  high  counsel 
of  our  Lord,  "  Increase  our  faith  " ! 


XXXVII 
A   FRIEND   OF  THE  SUSPECTED 

SUCH  was  the  character  of  the  Apostle 
Barnabas.  From  his  life  there  ema- 
nated the  strength  and  perfume  of  good- 
ness, and  he  ministered  among  his  brethren  as 
the  son  of  consolation.  Whenever  people 
were  under  a  cloud  he  brought  the  light  of 
cheer.  Whenever  they  moved  in  timidity,  by 
reason  of  suspicion,  he  brought  the  atmos- 
phere of  confidence.  I  want  to  look  at  his 
character  and  inspect  the  springs  of  his  dispo- 
sition and  service. 

How  was  his  life  related  to  God  ?  First  of 
all  we  are  told  he  was  "  full  of  faith."  The 
word  "  full "  is  strangely  significant.  There 
are  analogies  which  may  help  us  in  our  appre- 
hension of  this  side  of  his  character.  We 
speak  sometimes  of  a  singer  as  being  "  full  of 
music."  I  spent  an  hour  a  little  time  ago  in 
the  presence  of  a  distinguished  singer.  Every 
moment  she  seemed  to  be  bubbling  over  with 
song.  Every  interest  in  her  life  was  con- 
trolled by  the  dominant  passion.  Every 
power  in  her  being  seemed  to  sway  to  one  in- 
262 


A  FRIEND  OF  THE  SUSPECTED    263 

spiration  like  fern  and  reeds  responding  to  the 
common  movement  of  the  wind.  An  organ- 
ist's fingers  are  raining  music  even  when  he 
is  not  at  the  organ.  They  are  moving  to  in- 
audible sounds.  The  soul  that  is  full  of  music 
brings  its  music  into  everything,  and  every  cir- 
cumstance becomes  the  home  of  song.  And 
so  it  is  with  the  life  that  is  "  full  of  faith." 
Let  me  give  another  analogy.  When  the 
conductor  of  an  orchestra  raises  his  baton  the 
eyes  of  every  instrumentalist  are  fixed  upon 
him.  It  would  be  right  to  say  that  the  or- 
chestra is  "  full  of  obedience."  Every  mem- 
ber in  the  fellowship  is  controlled  by  one  will, 
and  all  the  powers  co-operate  in  this  common 
subjection.  The  life  that  is  "  full  of  faith  " 
is  a  life  in  which  every  power  of  the  soul  pays 
homage  to  the  will  of  the  Lord.  Every  fac- 
ulty is  open  in  trustful  dependence  on  the  Un- 
seen, and  this  obeisance  is  paid  in  all  the  vary- 
ing circumstances  of  the  ever-changing  road. 
Barnabas  was  "  full  of  faith." 

And  the  second  characteristic  of  his  su- 
preme relationships  was  this :  he  was  "  full  of 
the  Holy  Spirit."  This  fulness  is  a  sequent 
to  the  other.  Faith  is  the  willingness  of  the 
soul  to  receive  the  Holy  Spirit.  Faith  implies 
that  the  soul  is  disposed  to  Divine  hospitality. 
It  is  willing  to  entertain  the  Lord.     It  is  ready 


264    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

to  open  the  door  to  heavenly  presences,  and  to 
throw  the  windows  open  to  heavenly  airs.  I 
suppose  that  some  of  the  most  nauseous  places 
on  the  face  of  the  earth  are  on  the  high  seas. 
Where  the  air  is  purest  and  cleanest  unclean- 
ness  may  most  abound.  There  can  be  noth- 
ing more  repulsive  than  the  air  of  many  a 
sailor's  cabin,  and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
his  boat  is  enveloped  in  the  purest  air  that 
enswathes  the  earth.  We  can  breathe  a 
stench  ful  atmosphere  when  immeasurable 
leagues  of  finest  air  are  pressing  round  on 
every  side.  Now,  to  open  the  port-hole  is  to 
have  fellowship  with  the  infinite.  The  little 
cabin  becomes  filled  with  air  that  has  been 
washed  and  sweetened  by  the  influences  of 
immeasurable  space.  And  so  it  is  that  faith 
opens  the  life  to  breathings  of  the  Infinite 
Spirit.  Faith  makes  the  soul  competent  to 
receive  the  Holy  Spirit.  Barnabas  was  open 
to  the  Divine,  and  the  Divine  became  his  guest. 
Now  turn  to  his  human  relationships. 
What  should  we  expect  such  a  man  to  be  in 
his  active  life  in  the  world?  I  should  venture 
to  characterize  the  life  of  this  early  apostle  in 
one  phrase.  He  was  the  friend  of  the  sus- 
pected. First  of  all  he  was  the  friend  of 
suspected  individuals.  Saul  heard  the  call  of 
his  Lord,  and  responded,  and  became  a  disci- 


A  FRIEND  OF  THE  SUSPECTED    265 

pie  of  the  Son  of  God.  Now,  there  is  always 
a  strange  reluctance  to  believe  in  the  goodness 
of  people  who  have  been  reclaimed.  We  sus- 
pect that  their  apparent  improvement  may  be 
only  a  fresh  disguise  of  their  vice.  Their 
tears  may  be  only  part  of  their  trickery.  We 
say  to  ourselves  and  to  one  another,  "  We 
have  known  him  of  old."  Or  we  say,  "  What 
is  he  up  to  now  ? "  His  conversion  is  re- 
garded as  a  new  make-up  by  an  old  actor.  In 
some  such  way  was  the  Apostle  Paul  regarded 
at  his  conversion.  He  was  the  object  of  deep 
suspicion.  He  was  suspected  of  being  a 
Jesuit  before  even  Jesuitry  was  born.  He 
might  be  seeking  deeper  intimacies  in  order 
that  he  might  carry  out  malicious  designs. 
"  They  were  afraid,  and  did  not  believe  that 
he  was  a  disciple.,,  What  then  can  be  done 
for  a  man  who  is  treated  with  such  chilling 
vigilance?  "  Barnabas  took  him  and  brought 
him  to  the  apostles.,,  It  was  a  very  delicate 
companionship  which  Barnabas  thus  offered 
to  the  timid  convert  to  help  him  along  the 
early  steps  of  the  way.  I  try  to  imagine  the 
two  as  they  made  their  way  to  the  apostles' 
company.  I  try  to  imagine  the  character  of 
their  intercourse.  I  can  feel  how  they  would 
grow  into  each  other,  and  how  heart  and  mind 
would  commune  with  heart  and  mind  in  a 


266    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

fellowship  never  to  be  broken.  And  this  is 
the  kind  of  strengthening  communion  which 
thousands  of  converts  need  in  our  own  day, 
especially  those  who  are  leaving  behind  them 
the  record  of  glaring  and  notorious  lives. 
They  need  the  friendship  of  men  who  shield 
them  from  suspicion,  and  who  by  their  confi- 
dence nourish  their  frailty  into  hopeful 
strength. 

Let  me  give  another  instance  of  this  man's 
disposition  and  service.  We  lose  sight  of  the 
convert  Saul.  He  became  a  recluse.  He  re- 
tires into  comparative  privacy  and  solitude. 
He  seems  to  be  lost  to  the  Church,  and  no 
one  appears  concerned  about  his  where- 
abouts. For  some  years  he  vanishes  from  our 
sight.  And  then  Barnabas  came  to  Antioch 
to  execute  a  commission  with  which  he  had 
been  entrusted  by  the  Church  in  Jerusalem. 
And  when  his  task  was  done  he  "  departed  to 
Tarsus  to  seek  Saul."  I  like  to  think  of  that 
man  setting  out  on  his  journey  in  quest  of  the 
other  man  destined  to  be  the  great  apostle  to 
the  Gentiles.  It  seems  as  though  the  Apostle 
Paul  was  twice  saved  by  Barnabas  to  the  serv- 
ices of  the  Christian  Church.  He  brought 
him  to  Antioch,  and  the  great  missionary  cru- 
sade began.  How  much  we  are  indebted  to 
the  folk  who  seek  out  the  hidden  people,  the 


EC  FRIEND  OF  THE  SUSPECTED     267 

folk  who  fetch  us  out  of  our  holes!  There 
are  thousands  of  people  hiding  away  in  for- 
gotten corners,  and  Barnabas  is  needed  to 
bring  them  to  their  places  of  ministry  and 
service. 

There  is  one  other  instance  where  Barnabas 
overwhelmed  the  suspicions  of  others  and  re- 
deemed the  defeated  man  from  alienation. 
John  Mark  had  become  fearful.  He  was  per- 
haps afraid  of  the  fever  that  haunted  the 
swamps  along  the  Asiatic  coast.  Or  perhaps 
it  was  the  looming  of  other  kinds  of  danger 
and  difficulty.  Whatever  it  was  it  was  some- 
thing that  frowned  upon  them,  and  Mark  left 
the  apostolic  company  and  turned  back.  He 
at  once  became  a  child  of  suspicion.  And  at 
a  later  day,  when  a  new  enterprise  was  being 
commenced,  "  Paul  thought  not  good  to  take 
him."  But  again  Barnabas  interposed  and 
"  took  Mark."  How  much  we  are  indebted 
to  the  gracious  folk  who  are  willing  to  give  us 
a  second  chance!  What  a  radiant  record 
shines  behind  the  names  of  those  who  have 
permitted  the  fallen  to  try  again!  It  is  the 
way  of  the  Lord. 

When  Jonah  had  rejected  his  first  com- 
mand, and  had  turned  his  back  upon  it,  and 
wandered  in  the  ways  of  trespass  and  trans- 
gression, the  Lord  gave  him  a  second  chance. 


268    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

"  And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Jonah 
a  second  time."  This  is  the  disposition  that 
needs  to  be  manifested  by  the  followers  of  the 
Christ.  There  are  multitudes  of  people  who 
have  broken  their  covenant,  who  have  de- 
serted to  the  foe,  who  have  eaten  the  bread 
of  the  enemy,  but  who  are  longing  to  return 
to  the  old  camp.  Barnabas  was  the  friend  of 
just  such  longing  souls.  He  was  the  helper 
of  those  who  had  failed.  He  was  the  advo- 
cate of  the  second  chance. 

But  he  was  not  only  the  friend  of  suspected 
individuals.  He  was  the  guardian  of  sus- 
pected causes.  There  were  strange  doings  at 
Antioch,  which  were  reported  to  Jerusalem  as 
the  extension  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  Great 
doubts  arose  as  to  its  being  genuine,  and  many 
looked  upon  it  with  severe  suspicion.  Barna- 
bas was  sent  as  a  deputation  of  inquiry.  And 
what  is  the  record  of  the  mission?  "When 
he  had  seen  the  grace  of  God,"  Barnabas  had 
the  requisite  light.  His  eyes  were  anointed 
with  eye  salve  and  his  perceptions  were  clean 
and  clear.  He  knew  the  old  fruit,  even  when 
he  found  it  growing  in  a  new  garden.  He 
recognized  the  old  tokens  of  grace,  even  when 
they  were  revealed  in  strange  conditions. 
"  When  he  had  seen  it  he  was  glad."  And 
these,  too,  are  the  folk  we  want  in  our  own 


A  FRIEND  OF  THE  SUSPECTED    269 

time.  We  need  people  who  can  see  Christ 
when  He  appears  in  a  new  dress,  who  can  dis- 
cern the  cause  of  the  Kingdom  when  it  shows 
itself  in  novel  conditions.  We  need  the  spirit 
of  candour  and  of  consecrated  expectancy, 
and  for  these  we  require  the  fulness  of  faith 
and  the  indwelling  presence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  There  is  great  work  for  Barnabas 
nowadays,  for  everywhere  God  is  revealing 
Himself  in  new  and  diverse  manners,  and 
watchful,  faithful  men  will  love  His  ap^ 
pearing. 


XXXVIII 

THE  HIGHER  MINISTRIES  OF  HOLI- 
DAYS 

WHY  did  our  Lord  go  "  every  night " 
into  the  mountain?  And  why  was 
it  His  custom  to  walk  so  frequently 
in  the  garden?  It  was  because  He  felt  the 
boon  companionship  of  Nature,  the  friendly 
helpfulness  of  the  vast  and  the  beautiful. 
Mountain  and  garden  were  allies  of  the  spirit, 
silent  Greathearts  who  ministered  to  Him  in 
the  pilgrim  way.  He  sought  the  mountain 
when  He  was  pondering  over  great  decisions. 
He  was  found  in  a  garden  "  in  the  night  in 
which  He  was  betrayed."  He  heard  won- 
drous messages  in  her  voices;  in  her  silences, 
too.  He  listened  to  mysterious  speech.  He 
read  the  evangel  of  the  lilies.  He  understood 
the  language  of  the  birds.  He  read  the  face  of 
the  sky.  He  shared  the  secrets  of  the  soil  and 
the  seed.  He  walked  through  the  cornfields 
on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  the  ears  of  corn  min- 
istered to  a  richer  Sabbatic  peace.  He  stooped 
to  hold  intercourse  with  the  grass  of  the  field. 
The    wind    brought    Him    tidings    of    other 

270 


MINISTRIES  OF  HOLIDAYS      271 

worlds.  The  vineyards  gave  Him  more  than 
grapes  and  wine ;  they  refreshed  and  strength- 
ened His  soul.  Everywhere  and  always  our 
Saviour  was  in  communion  with  His  willing 
and  immediate  friends  in  the  natural  world. 
Nature  was  to  Jesus  a  blessed  colleague  in 
the  soul's  commerce  and  fellowship  with  the 
Highest. 

And  we,  too,  seek  rest  and  recreation  by  the 
seashore  or  countryside.  Our  bodies  become 
like  lamps  that  are  in  need  of  oil ;  they  burn  a 
little  dim  and  uncertain;  and  sometimes  be- 
cause we  are  a  little  spent  and  weary  we  be- 
come very  unpleasant  to  other  people,  like 
lamps  that  have  begun  to  smoke.  We  are 
consuming  wick  rather  than  oil,  and  it  is  at- 
tended with  offensive  consequences  all  round. 
And  so  we  must  get  our  lamps  refilled,  and  we 
find  the  precious  oil  in  the  green  pastures  or 
by  the  deep-sounding  sea. 

Now,  it  is  good  for  us  to  remember  that  a 
jaded  body  can  be  greatly  helped  through  the 
ministry  of  a  refreshed  mind.  A  noble 
thought  in  the  mind  has  ennerving  com- 
munion with  the  entire  circle  of  our  life. 
And  the  principle  is  even  still  more  deep  and 
certain  in  its  influences  when  for  a  noble 
thought  we  substitute  an  exuberant  soul. 
"  Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee,"  said  the  Master, 


272    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

and  the  extraordinary  physical  convalescence 
was  directly  related  to  a  mood  and  disposition 
of  the  soul.  And,  therefore,  although  We 
may  get  valuable  stock  of  oil  for  our  spent 
and  sputtering  lamp  by  just  lying  down  on  the 
slopes  of  the  hills,  or  throwing  ourselves  on 
the  sands,  yet  the  filling  would  be  greatly 
helped  if  to  a  prudent  physical  indolence  we 
added  refined  and  noble  thought.  Golfing 
will  be  all  the  more  effective  as  a  tonic  if  a 
man  is  open  to  the  Divine.  We  cannot  get 
the  best  out  of  Nature  if  we  are  closed  against 
her  deepest  secret.  We  may  depend  upon  it 
that  when  Jesus  prayed  upon  the  mountain  He 
got  the  very  best  that  the  mountain  had  to 
give.  When  He  knelt  in  the  garden  of  Geth- 
semane  the  olive  groves  contributed  far  more 
than  restful  shade  and  perfume.  Our  bodies 
draw  upon  Nature's  finest  essence  when  our 
spirits  are  in  communion  with  Nature's  God. 
And  so  in  all  our  thinkings  about  rejuvenation 
let  us  include  the  interests  of  the  spirit.  The 
most  refreshing  holiday  is  that  which  is  per- 
vaded by  an  abiding  communion  with  God. 
Our  spiritual  habits  are  the  ministers  or  the 
masters  of  our  bodies,  and  we  do  a  very  ill 
turn  to  our  tired  bodies  if,  by  the  manner  of 
our  holiday,  we  choke  the  channels  of  the 
highest  life. 


MINISTRIES  OF  HOLIDAYS      273 

I  know  that  Nature  has  frequently  an  un- 
conscious and  a  very  blessed  influence  upon 
our  minds  and  souls.  A  revelation  of  vasti- 
tude  may  have  a  most  expansive  influence 
upon  us,  even  if  the  Divine  do  not  consciously 
possess  our  thoughts.  The  bounding  wave 
may  give  us  a  very  exhilarating  influence,  and 
so  may  the  jocund  daffodils,  or  the  bright 
loneliness  of  the  uplifted  hills.  Nature  may 
soothe  us,  or  she  may  excite  us ;  she  may  be  a 
stimulant  or  a  sedative.  But  this  unconscious 
influence  is  by  no  means  sure.  If  the  presence 
of  broad  spaces  and  towering  heights  were 
always  ministers  of  expansion  how  do  we  ex- 
plain those  multitudes  in  our  rural  population 
whose  minds  are  small,  and  dull,  and  unre- 
sponsive, and  who  have  no  conscious  or  un- 
conscious communion  with  the  subtle  beauty 
or  the  far-stretching  glory  of  their  surround- 
ings? 

But  why  go  to  a  farm  labourer  for  our 
example?  We  may  find  the  witness  in  our 
own  experience.  We  have  often  been  to  the 
royal  seats  of  Nature's  majesty  or  beauty,  we 
have  climbed  her  awful  mountains,  we  have 
walked  her  broad  domains,  we  have  sailed  her 
immeasurable  seas,  and  in  very  truth  we  have 
returned  home  as  small  as  we  went  away. 
The  body  has  gained  something,  but  not  the 


£74    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

mind  or  the  soul,  and,  because  the  mind  and 
the  soul  have  been  locked  up  like  the  rooms  we 
have  left  behind  in  the  city,  our  very  bodies 
have  not  recovered  that  exuberant  strength 
which  was  intended  for  them  in  the  gracious 
purpose  of  God. 

In  all  our  holiday-making  let  us  deliberately 
commune  with  the  Divine.  I  am  painfully 
aware  that  the  very  form  of  the  phrase  I  have 
used  is  suggestive  of  a  task,  and  appears  to 
be  uncongenial  to  the  holiday  mood.  But 
there  can  be  nothing  in  all  our  plans  more 
holiday-like  and  more  holiday-giving  than  just 
this  simple  purpose  to  commune  with  God. 
Does  it  stint  our  holiday  feeling  to  recall  the 
face  and  the  tenderness  of  our  little  child? 
When  we  are  in  some  almost  awful  splen- 
dour, is  the  thought  of  love  an  intrusion  which 
darkens  the  privilege  into  task?  Surely  the 
thought  of  the  beloved  deepens  and  chastens 
the  joy!  And  so  is  it  in  the  highest  realms 
and  reaches  of  thought;  the  right  thought  of 
God  deepens  and  enriches  the  holiday  mood 
and  puts  us  into  communion  with  the  very 
springs  of  life  and  joy  and  peace.  We  are 
going  back  to  the  old  place,  on  the  hill,  on 
the  moor,  or  by  the  sea.  Have  we  ever  met 
the  Lord  there?  Have  we  ever  seen  the 
mystic  cloud  upon  the  hills?    Have  we  ever 


MINISTRIES  OF  HOLIDAYS      275 

seen  Him  come  walking  on  the  waters? 
Have  we  ever  felt  His  Presence  in  the  corn- 
fields? Has  He  ever  talked  with  us  as  we 
stooped  to  pick  a  flower  by  the  way?  Never 
met  Him?  Ah!  then,  we  don't  yet  know  our 
holiday  place  as  we  may  know  it,  and  as, 
please  God!  we  may  know  it  before  we  come 
back  home  again.  We  have  only  seen  it  in 
the  light  of  common  day.  Wait  until  we  have 
seen  it  in  His  blessed  fellowship  and  we  shall 
be  amazed  at  the  glory!  We  have  seen  the 
common  bush  and  we  think  it  wonderful ;  wait 
until  we  have  seen  the  bush  burn  with  the  ra- 
diant Presence  of  God.  Wait  until  we  have 
been  up  the  hill  with  the  Lord,  and  in  the 
far-reaching  glory  He  has  become  transfig- 
ured before  us.  The  sense  of  His  Presence 
never  spoils  our  freedom  or  chills  our  pleas- 
ure; it  adds  sunshine  to  light  and  delightful 
music  to  all  our  songs.  When  He  walks  with 
us  as  we  journey  to  Emmaus  He  opens  up 
everything. 

What,  then,  shall  we  do  on  our  holiday? 
First  of  all,  let  us  quietly  cultivate  the  sense 
of  the  Presence  of  our  Lord.  Let  there  be 
no  stress  about  it  and  no  strain ;  the  quieter  it 
is,  the  more  natural  and  familiar,  the  better 
it  will  be.  All  that  we  need  to  do  is  just 
to  call  Him  to  mind  and  to  link  Him  with 


276    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

the  beauty  of  the  glory  we  contemplate.  Call 
Him  into  your  mind  as  freely  and  as  naturally 
as  you  would  recall  the  thought  of  a  loved  one 
whom  you  have  temporarily  forgotten.  You 
are  climbing  the  slope  of  some  glorious  hill, 
or  you  stand  upon  its  shoulder  or  its  summit; 
quietly  call  to  your  mind :  "  The  strength  of 
the  hills  is  His  also.'*  "  Who  by  His  strength 
setteth  fast  the  mountains,  being  girded  with 
power."  "  Faith  has  still  its  Olivet  and  love 
its  Galilee."  Or  you  are  walking  by  the 
shores  of  the  incoming  sea :  "  The  sea  is  His 
and  He  made  it."  "  There's  a  wideness  in 
God's  mercy  like  the  wideness  of  the  sea." 
Or  you  are  gazing  upon  the  wonders  of  sun- 
rise and  sunset,  upon  their  gorgeous  harmony 
of  colours,  upon  the  mighty  architecture  of 
embattled  clouds :  "  He  clothed  Himself  in 
light  as  with  a  garment."  "  The  heavens  de- 
clare the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament 
sheweth  His  handiwork."  "  The  Sun  of 
Righteousness  shall  arise  with  healing  on  His 
wings."  Or  you  are  swept  by  the  fresh, 
health-giving  wind,  from  the  deep,  or  on  the 
heights :  "  He  rideth  upon  the  wings  of  the 
wind." 

Thy  bountiful  care, 

What  tongue  can  relate, 
It  breathes  in  the  air. 


MINISTRIES  OF  HOLIDAYS      277 

"  And  He  breathed  upon  them  and  said,  Re- 
ceive ye  the  Holy  Ghost."  Or  you  are  amid 
the  perfumed  loveliness  of  the  flowers  of  the 
field: 

Thy  sweetness  hath  betrayed  Thee,  Lord ; 
Dear  Spirit,  it  is  Thou ! 

Would  this  gentle  recollection  interfere  with 
the  holiday  ?  Would  it  impoverish  it  ?  Would 
it  chill  it?  Or  would  it  not  rather  warm  and 
enlarge  it,  making  every  avenue  bright  and 
luminous,  changing  commandments  into  beati- 
tudes : 

And  our  lives  would  be  all  sunshine 
In  the  sweetness  of  our  Lord. 

"  Thou  shalt  remember  the  Lord  thy  God," 
and  His  statutes  shall  become  thy  songs. 

And  then  I  would  give  a  second  counsel. 
Let  us  seek  the  mystic  mind  of  God  in  the 
creations  of  the  natural  world.  For  these  ma- 
terial presences  are  speaking  to  us.  They  are 
the  wonderful  shrines  in  which  are  to  be  found 
still  more  wonderful  messages.  Do  not  let 
us  confine  our  wonder  to  the  shrine  and  ignore 
the  message.  Let  us  hold  ourselves  receptive 
to  the  secret,  spiritual  thing.  Our  Saviour 
elicited  the  secret  of  the  lilies.  He  read  an 
evangel  as  He  saw  the  birds  on  the  wing  or 


278    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

in  their  nests.  Everything  was  to  Him  a  kind 
of  envelope,  and  He  reverently  opened  it  and 
found  the  mystic  scroll.  And  so  was  it  with 
the  psalmists  and  the  prophets.  Material 
things  were  the  bearers  of  spiritual  things, 
and  these  old  seers  continually  gather  the 
secret  treasure.  Charles  Kingsley  said  that 
whenever  he  went  down  a  country  lane  he 
felt  as  though  everything  about  him,  every 
leaf,  and  bud,  and  flower,  were  saying  some- 
thing to  him,  and  he  was  pained  by  the  feeling 
of  his  density.  But  he  heard  many,  many 
things,  and  he  has  told  them  again  to  us.  And 
in  our  own  degree  we  all  may  do  it.  At  any 
rate,  we  can  question  these  sublime  and  beau- 
tiful things,  and  rightly  to  ask  a  question  is 
to  put  oneself  in  the  mood  for  receiving  a 
reply.  Why  not  begin  with  a  flower? 
"  What  message  hast  thou  here  for  me,  thou 
tender,  beautiful,  gracious  thing?  What  tid- 
ings dost  thou  bring  ? "  Maybe  not  all  at 
once  will  our  spirit  discover  the  answer,  but 
it  will  not  be  long  before  we  are  sensitive 
enough  to  catch  some  whisper  from  our  God. 
Material  presences,  continually  wooed  by  the 
spirit,  will  yield  their  spiritual  treasure,  and 
the  jubilant  heart  will  store  up  its  growing 
wealth  of  grace.  And  so,  I  say,  cannot  we 
quietly  interrogate  our  surroundings,  without 


MINISTRIES  OF  HOLIDAYS      279 

Juss  or  obtrusion,  and  by  wise  questioning 
prepare  ourselves  for  great  replies  ?  "  What 
hast  thou  to  say  to  me,  O  breaking  wave,  the 
lifted  hill,  flying  cloud,  gentle  breeze,  or  roar- 
ing blast  ?  "  And  if  some  day  our  holiday 
plans  are  broken  by  the  broken  weather  it  will 
be  a  blessed  thing  to  consult  the  falling  rain, 
and  ask  what  secret  messages  it  may  have  for 
men,  and  what  news  it  brings  of  things  Divine ! 
These  are  simplicities,  but  they  will  lead  us 
into  profundities,  and  without  any  weight  or 
burdensomeness  they  will  keep  our  souls 
"alive  unto  God." 

What  sweetness  on  Thine  earth  doth  dwell ! 

How  precious,  Lord,  these  gifts  of  Thine  ! 
Yet  sweeter  messages  they  tell, 

These  earnests  of  delight  Divine. 

These  odours  blest,  these  gracious  flowers, 
These  sweet  sounds  that  around  us  rise, 

Give  tidings  of  the  heavenly  bowers, 
Prelude  the  angelic  harmonies. 

And  thus  let  us  imitate  the  Scriptures  in 
regarding  the  ministries  of  Nature  as  illus- 
trative of  the  ministries  of  grace.  While  we 
look  at  the  seen,  let  us  also  look  at  the  unseen. 
Let  the  symbol  become  a  veil  through  which 
we  can  see  Him  "  who  is  invisible."  Let  us 
use  our  happy  surroundings  as  modes  of  ex- 


380    THINGS  THAT  MATTER  MOST 

pression  between  God  and  the  soul,  and  the 
soul  and  God. 

Such  communings  do  not  detract  from  the 
worth  and  wealth  of  a  holiday,  they  rather 
enrich  and  augment  it.  They  give  freedom 
and  height  and  expansion  to  the  soul ;  and  high 
spirits  are  good  spirits,  and  good  spirits  are 
the  very  first  essential  to  bodily  health  and 
exuberance.  To  "  sit  in  heavenly  places  in 
Christ  Jesus "  makes  one  akin  to  the  secret 
power  which  dwells  in  the  blowing  corn  and 
the  rolling  wave. 

We  do  not  need  to  have  vast  panoramas,  or 
gigantic  mountains,  or  immeasurable  seas,  be- 
fore we  can  enter  into  sacred  communion 
with  the  spirit  of  Nature.  We  can  begin  at 
home  in  more  limited  surroundings.  We 
have  always  with  us  the  pageant  of  the  clouds. 
We  have  the  wonder  of  the  sky.  "  The  no- 
blest scenes  of  the  earth  can  be  seen  and  known 
but  by  few;  it  is  not  intended  that  man  should 
live  always  in  the  midst  of  them;  he  injures 
them  by  his  presence,  he  ceases  to  feel  them 
if  he  is  always  with  them;  but  the  sky  is  for 
all  .  .  .  fitted  in  all  its  functions  for  the  per- 
petual comfort  and  exulting  of  the  heart, — 
for  soothing  it,  and  purifying  it  from  its  dross 
and  dust."  We  have  always,  not  far  away, 
the  treasures  of  the  gardens  and  the  flowers  of 


MINISTRIES  OF  HOLIDAYS      281 

the  fields.  We  have  the  birds,  and  our  Lord 
found  a  great  evangel  in  the  sparrows !  Yes, 
it  is  altogether  true  what  Stevenson  said: 
"  The  spirit  of  delight  comes  often  on  small 
wings."  Let  us  watch  the  commonplaces  in 
Nature.  We  shall  find  them  vistas  opening 
into  the  infinite  and  eternal.  "  The  earth  is 
the  Lord's  and  the  fulness  thereof,  the  world 
and  they  that  dwell  therein."  "  Holy,  holy, 
holy,  is  the  Lord.  The  fulness  of  the  whole 
earth  is  His  glory." 


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exhaustless  parable,  and  will  prove  helpful  to  all  young  people 
— and  older  ones,  too.  Dr.  Broughton  does  not  hesitate  to 
make  his  utterances  striking  and  entertaining  by  the  intro- 
duction of  numerous  appropriate  and  homely  stories  and  illus- 
trations.   He  reaches  the  heart." — Review  and  Expositor, 


ESSAYS,  GIFT  BOOKS,  Etc. 


HUGH  BUCK,    M.  A.      Author  of  "Friendship" 

The  Open  Door 

iamo,  cloth,  net  $1.00. 

A  new  volume  from  the  pen  of  Hugh  Black  exhibiting  all 
the  ohief  elements  of  his  previous  work — an  uplifting  ethical 
purpose,  not  a  little  of  the  poetry  and  imagination  of  the 
Gaelic  temperament,  and  all  a  Scotsman's  inexorable  logic. 
Dr.  Black  has  had  chosen  to  regard  life  as  an  open  door,  at 
which  he  stands  and  discusses  its  unfolding  problems,  its 
sorrows  and  its  joys. 

HUGH  BLACK,  M.A. 

Friendship 

Pocket  Edition.    i2mo,  cloth,  gilt  top,  net  $1.00. 

Issued  in  response  to  the  popular  demand  for  a  pocket 
edition  of  this  gift  book  which  has  become  a  classic. 

"Mr.  Black  is  a  man  of  great  spiritual  earnestness,  sim- 
plicity of  nature,  and  very  fine  intellectual  quality.  This 
volume,  which  is  tender  and  winning,  and  at  the  same  time 
vigorous  and  incisive,  shows  the  fine  grain  of  the  man's  na- 
ture."— The  Outlook. 

In  Uniform  Style:  "Work,"  "Comfort/*  "Happines.  !* 
WILLIAM  JENNINGS  BRYAN 

Messages  for  the  Times 

iamo,  boards,  each  net  35c. 

The  Message  from  Bethlehem 

A  plea  for  the  world-wide  adoption  of  the  spirit  of  the 
Angels'  song — "Goodwill  to  Men. 

The  Royal  Art 

A  lucid  exposition  of  Mr.  Bryan's  views  concerning  what 
he  deems  the  aims  and  ideals  of  righteous  government. 

The  Making  of  a  Man 

An  eloquent  yet  faithful  tracing  of  the  main  lines  to  be 
followed  if  the  crown  of  manhood  is  to  be  attained,  and  the 
best  there  is  extracted  from  this  earthly  life. 

The  Prince  of  Peace 

Mr.  Bryan's  famous  and  picturesque  lecture  delivered  ere 
now  in  the  hearing  of  tens  of  thousands. 

FREDERICK    LYNCH  .,„      ^uthorof     ~ 

■  The  Peace  Problem"  eU. 

What  Makes  a  Nation  Great? 

l2mo,  cloth,  net  75c 

"This  is  a  voice  that  ought  to  be  heard.  Dr.  t,ynch  points 
out  what  elements  enter  into  the  greatness  of  a  nation  and 

Slves  some  indications  that  by  these  standards  the  United 
tates  is  a  great  nation.  The  well  known  advocate  of  peace 
and  arbitration  proves  instead  that  the  greatness  of  a  nation 
is  always  spiritual.  If  pastors  read  this  book  they  will  be 
T«ry  sure  to  preach  it."—  Tkt  C#»l*»#»i. 


ESSAYS  AND  STUDIES 


JOSEPH  FORT  NEWTON  Author  of  "The  Eternal 

— — ' — ■■  Christ"    Davtd Swtng" 

What  Have  the  Saints  to  Teach  Us? 

A  Message  from  the  Church  of  the  Past  to  the 
Church  of  To-day.    i2mo,  cloth,  net  50c. 

"Of  that  profounder  life  of  faith  and  prayer  and  vision 
which  issues  in  deeds  of  daring  excellence,  the  Pilgrims  of 
the  Mystic  Way  are  the  leaders  and  guides;  and  there  is 
much  in  our  time  which  invites  their  leadership." — Preface. 

JOHN  BALCOM  SHAW,  P.P. 

The  Angel  in  the  Sun 

Glimpses  of  the  Light  Eternal.    Cloth,  net  $1.00. 

Dr.  Shaw  has  prepared  a  series  of  spirited  addresses 
marked  throughout  by  sincerity  and  fine  feeling,  and  free 
of  all  philosophical  surmise,  or  theological  cavil.  "The  Angel 
In  The  Sun"  is  a  refreshing  and  enheartening  book;  the 
cheery  word  of  a  man  of  unswerving  faith  to  his  compan- 
ions by  the  way. 

PHILIP   MAURO 

Looking  for  the  Saviour 

i2mo,  cloth,  net  35c;  paper,  20c. 

The  first  part  of  this  little  volume  is  devoted  to  an  exami- 
nation of  the  chief  reasons  that  have  been  advanced  in  sup- 
port of  the  post-tribulation  view  of  the  Rapture  of  the  Saints. 
The  second  part  contains  some  affirmative  teaching  relating 
to  the  general  subject  of  the  I/jrd's  return. 

PROF.  LEE  R.  SCARBOROUGH 

Recruits  for  World  Conquests 

i2mo,  cloth,  net  75c. 

"Here  is  a  soul-stirring  message,  presenting  the  call  and  the 
need  and  the  response  we  should  make.  The  author  is  deeply 
spiritual,  wise,  earnest  and  conservative  in  presenting  his  ap- 
peal.— Word  and  Way. 

PRINCIPAL  ALEXANPER  WHYTE,  P.  P. 

Thirteen  Appreciations 

i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.50. 

Appreciations  of  Santa  Teresa,  Jacob  Boehme,  Bishop  An- 
drews, Samuel  Rutherford,  Thomas  Shepard,  Thomas  Good- 
win, Sir  Thomas  Browne,  William  I<aw,  James  Fraser  of 
Brea,  Bishop  Butler,  Cardinal  Newman,  William  Guthrie  and 
John  Wesley,  go  to  the  making  of  Dr.  Whyte's  new  book,  a 
work  of  high  authority,  revealing  on  every  page  the  man  who 
wrote  it. 


EARLIER  WORKS  IN  DEMAND 

WAYNE  WHIPPLE  # 

The  Story-Life  of  the  Son  of  Man 

8vo,  illustrated,  net  $2.50. 

"A  literary  mosaic,  consisting  of  quotations  from  a  great 
number  of  writers  concerning  all  the  events  of  the  Gospels. 
The  sub-title  accurately  describes  its  contents.  That  sub- 
title is  'Nearly  a  thousand  stories  from  sacred  and  secular 
sources  in  a  continuous  and  complete  chronicle  of  the  earth 
life  of  the  Saviour.'  The  book  was  prepared  for  the  general 
reader,  but  will  be  valuable  to  minister,  teacher  and  student. 
There  are  many  full-page  engravings  from  historic  paintingi 
and  sacred  originals,  some  reproduced  for  the  first  time."— 
Christian  Observer. 

GAIUS  GLENN  ATKINS,  P.P. 

Pilgrims  of  the  Lonely  Road 

i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.50. 

"A  rare  book  for  its  style,  its  theme  and  the  richness  of 
its  insight.  Seldom  is  seen  a  book  of  more  exquisite  grace 
of  diction — happy  surprises  of  phrase,  and  lovely  lengths  of 
haunting  prose  to  delight  the  eye.  Each  of  the  great  pil- 
grim's studies  is  followed  step  by  step  along  the  lonely  way 
of  the  soul  in  its  quest  of  light,  toward  the  common  goal  of 
all — union  with  the  eternal." — Chicago  Record-Herald. 

S.  P.  GORDON 

Quiet  Talks  on  Following  The  Christ 

i2mo,  cloth,  net  75c. 

"This  volume  is  well  calculated  to  aid  in  Christian  life,  to 
give  strength,  courage  and  light  on  difficult  problems.  It 
grips  one's  very  life,  brings  one  face  to  face  with  God's 
word,  ways  of  understanding  it  and,  even  its  every  day  ap- 
plication. It  is  plain,  clear,  direct,  no  confusion  of  dark 
sentences." — Bapt.  Observer. 

G.  CAMPBELL  MORGAN,  P.P. 

The  Teaching  of  Christ 

A  Companion  Volume  to  "The  Crises  of  The 
Christ."    8vo,  cloth,  net  $1.50.  » 

"One  does  not  read  far  before  he  is  amazed  at  the  clear  and 
logical  grasp  Dr.  Morgan  has  upon  divine  truths.  Could  a 
copy  of  this  book,  with  its  marvelous  insight,  its  straightfor- 
wardness, its  masterly  appeal,  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  our 
church  leaders,  it  would  go  far  toward  negativing  the  spir- 
itual barrenness  of  destructive  criticism.  Here  is  a  work 
that  may  profitably  occupy  a  prominent  place  in  the  minister's 
library." — Augsburg  Teacher. 

ZEPHINE  HUMPHREY 

The  Edge  Of  the  Woods    And  Other  Papers 
i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.25. 

"Sane  optimism,  an  appreciation  of  the  beautiful  and  a 
delicate  humor  pervades  the  book  which  is  one  for  lovers  of 
real  literature  to  enjoy."— Pittsburgh  Post. 


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